The Last Sky
by Azahkhiel
Summary: Very slightly AU; Tsuna has finally accepted the title of Vongola Decimo. But ten years later, he disappeared leaving the Guardians and Vongola at a loss. They find him again, however something was wrong. Will the guardians be able to solve the mystery?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes:

Just a heads up, this story is a very, slightly AU, but you guys won't notice it until the later part of this story. Also, this is my first time ever writing a fic with a lot of characters so I'm not sure if I had all of them in character. Do tell me if they aren't, okay?

Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn will never be mine. Never has, never will be. I only own this story.

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Chapter 1

Bright sunlight entered the large glass windows, filling the hallways full of lavish paintings and other works of art with light. The deafening, yet comforting silence that permeated the hallways was soon broken as the sound of footsteps, padding quietly through the carpeted floor, were heard and a figure came walking.

He was a tall man wearing a suit, although the coat was left unbuttoned, revealing the dark blue shirt and black tie underneath. He had a small smile on his face as he walked in long strides. On his hand was a folder which he held carefully while the other had was kept inside his pocket. The man exuded an aura of calm around him and anyone who met him along the way and greet him would be greeted back with a cheerful smile before continuing on his way.

He reached a crossroad where he slowed down and turned to the right where he was met with the sight of another hall decorated with various works of art, before slowing down again and turning left when he reached another crossroad. To anyone else, it would seem that the man acted as if he was lost and merely guessing at which way to go, given that the mansion had hundreds of passages and hallways, but to him, everything was just a habit that formed from the numerous times he got lost in the mansion.

Smiling a bit wider at the sudden memory, he took another left that would have been the last turn he'd make to reach his destination, but that changed a year ago and now his usual route had changed. Large oak double doors at the end of the hallway came to view as he continued to walk but just as he was a few meters away from the door, he slowed and turned to his right, where a similar door stood at the end of the hallway.

Stopping in front of the door, he brought his hand to knock on the door three times. "Come in." Came the short, and somewhat irritated reply seconds later and he couldn't help but grin as he opened the door.

"I'm back from my mission." He said, taking in the somewhat neat yet messy look of the room as he closed the door behind him. An irritated sigh was heard from the person sitting behind the desk and didn't even bothering to look up. "And your report?" the man behind the desk grumbled tiredly as he signed another paper before placing it to the stack beside him.

The man carefully walked towards the desk, mindful of the stacks of papers placed beside it, as he held out the folder for the other man to take. "Here." He said, making the man sitting behind the desk finally look up at him and it was only then that the man notice how tired the other was

He smiled sympathetically as the other took the folder and placed it on the right side of the desk instead of opening it and read its contents. "You should take a break Gokudera, you look like you haven't slept for days." He offered and instead of receiving the usual off-handed remark or an irritated scoff from the other man, he merely received a grunt in return. "I haven't." The man said as he leaned back on his chair and ran a hand through his silver hair. "If I did take a break I'm sure I won't wake up for two whole days and then all of these," he waved to the stacks of papers standing around his desk "would've piled up even more and then I'd _never_ really be able to take a break." He finished, making the other man smile in understanding before he noticed something and blinked in surprise.

"Well, that's true, but I thought you were almost finished with everything? If I remember correctly, you were almost done with these when I left two days ago." He asked as he looked around the desk, the paperwork had increased almost twice in just two days. Gokudera let out another sigh, although this one sounded more irritated and angry than tired. "It's because of that stupid cow." He answered grudgingly as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was so close to finishing the paperwork. _So close..._

"Well, I'm sure Lambo didn't mean it." Yamamoto laughed while scratching the back of his head, which earned him a glare from the silver haired man. "Yeah, and I'm pretty sure Mukuro, Hibari and the Varia didn't mean it either." Gokudera scoffed, his aura turning more murderous with each name mentioned.

Years ago he would've exploded and ran off after the young Bovino (he couldn't run after Hibari, Mukuro or the Varia even if he wanted to) threatening him with dynamite at almost everything the boy did. But after years of living under the same roof with psychopaths, perverted pineapples and idiots running around, he got used to it. Not to mention the anger management classes he was somewhat forced to take.

Yamamoto laughed, not sure what to say after hearing that since he sometimes helped the other with the paperwork and had suffered the same fate. "It's not funny you baseball freak!" Gokudera screamed as he threw a paper weight at Yamamoto who easily dodged it. "Why don't you try sitting here all day doingnothing but reading and signing stacks and stack_s_ of papers that come in _everyday_ with _no_ sleep and _no_ breaks so that it won't pile up anymore and when you finally think you're done and finally free from it, you'd receive _fifty_ more stacks just because Lambo had _another_ fit and decided to randomly _throw_ a grenade or Hibari got _pissed_, or find out that Mukuro was bored so he _harassed_ a _mafia don_ and the Varia just thought it'd be fun to blow up a _whole_ city!" he exclaimed, panting a little at the sudden outburst.

"Calm down Gokudera." Yamamoto said, raising both his hands in a calming manner and Gokudera slumped back into his seat, too tired to even argue, and let out another sigh. He never knew that doing paperwork was this tiring. It wasn't that he didn't know how to do the paperwork, heck, it was actually easy. Just read and check if everything was okay then sign it and you're done. Besides, he used to help out Tsuna from time to time so he knew what to do, so that wasn't the problem. The problem was the sheer amount of paperwork that he had to do. A huge amount of paperwork meant repeating the same process over and over again. And if you're working in Vongola, the paperwork would never end and you'd be stuck in your office for a _very long _time.

Gokudera groaned. He'd rather be outside doing dangerous missions in some corner of the world than being stuck in his office doing paperwork. No. He'd rather fight Hibari than do all the paperwork. It was just that bad.

"This is too much. Now I understand why jyuudaime often escaped the mansion." He said, almost whining and Yamamoto just smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, and then you'd turn the whole mansion upside down just to find him only to realize he went outside." Yamamoto grinned, before it turned into a sad smile. "It's been a year, hasn't it?" he asked and Gokudera merely nodded, his demeanour suddenly turned somber. "We still haven't found anything about where he could be." He said

Both guardians fell silent as they remembered their beloved boss. It had been a year since Tsuna disappeared and none of them had any clue as to why or how. At first they thought he had just taken a break for a day or two, which he often did when he was trying to escape the paperwork, but he didn't return the next day or two nor did he leave any note or message behind. Then they though he had been kidnapped and Reborn had ordered a search of the mafia famiglias as well as the countries and places that Tsuna might have gone to for whatever reason why. But they found nothing. Then they thought that the ten-year bazooka might've had another malfunction and sent Tsuna to the future again just like what happened ten years ago.

But they had crossed that option out as soon as they realized that Lambo was away on a mission with I-pin when he disappeared. They even had Lambo use the bazooka on himself to make sure that Tsuna really wasn't thrown into the future a few times to be sure and none of the mafia famiglias had technology that was as advanced as the Vongola's and the Bovino didn't make another bazooka other than the one Lambo had.

This left Reborn and the guardians at a loss as to what happened to their beloved boss and where on earth he was. Their boss wasn't kidnapped or transported to a different world or time frame. No. Their beloved sky had simply disappeared.

And as much as they would all like to keep on searching for their boss, the famiglia wasn't going to run itself, missions had to be done, alliances to make, subordinates to watch over and the guardians couldn't just leave their responsibilities behind. So Gokudera, being the right-hand man, had to take up the position as the acting head for the famiglia with help from Iemitsu, although he refused moving in to Tsuna's office, saying that he wanted to keep the office as is for when Tsuna returned, and settled himself in the room next to it instead.

Gokudera ran a hand through his hair again before rubbing his tired eyes "I'm guessing you found nothing about jyuudaime while you were out." He said, his words sounding more like a statement than a question since he already knew the answer. Yamamoto shook his head "No, none at all." He answered somberly.

Even when they had decided to return to their responsibilities in the famiglia, they had never stopped searching for Tsuna. During their free time or when they had finished their missions earlier than expected, they would, more often than not, use it in search of their boss. Even Hibari and Mukuro did so on several occasions, but they would always return empty handed.

"Hey, Gokudera?"

"What?" Gokudera looked up at Yamamoto, who had a thoughtful look on his face. "Why do you think Tsuna would disappear like that?" he asked and Gokudera shrugged "Who knows." After all the search they had done and all the meetings held, they had somehow accepted that since Tsuna wasn't kidnapped or transported elsewhere, the remaining reason that could answer his disappearance was that he left; although no one could think of a reason why.

"Jyuudaime isn't the type to suddenly leave for some reason or another, although it's quite hard to think of why he would leave." Gokudera said as he straightened up against the chair, deciding that he'd had a long enough break and that he should start signing up the papers lest it increase again. "You can leave now, if you want. I still have these to finish." He said as he started signing the papers again. Yamamoto didn't leave though, and still had that thoughtful expression on.

He looked at Gokudera who was once again signing papers "Hey, do you think that incident last year had something to do with it?" he asked and Gokudera stopped in the middle of signing a paper before looking up. "What incident?" he asked and Yamamoto moved closer to his desk. "You know, that incident when a sudden beeping sound broke their conversation and Gokudera pushed a glowing red button on the console placed on the left side of his desk and the screen placed on the wall facing his desk came to life showing Shouichi looking a bit anxious "What?"

"Gokudera-san, Yamamoto-san, Reborn is calling all the guardians for a meeting." Shouichi voice came through the speakers and Gokudera and Yamamoto shared a glance before Gokudera returned his attention to the screen. "Did he say about what?" he asked and Shouichi nodded. "Yes. He said he got a call from CEDEF a few minutes ago and Sawada-san and Basil are on their way here. Sawada-san said it was urgent" He explained.

A look of surprise flashed through both Gokudera and Yamamoto's faces as they heard what Shouichi said. Aside from them, CEDEF was also trying to find anything that could possibly lead them to Tsuna. Iemitsu even created a team headed by himself, and now, Iemitsu was coming along with Basil, who was also a member of that team.

"Wait, does that mean..." Yamamoto spoke, stepping closer to the screen and Shouichi nodded "They've found him." He confirmed and he couldn't help but smile as he saw the relieved expressions of the two guardians.

"They found Tsuna."

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Author's Notes:

And there you go! Chapter 1! I hope you guys like it. And I dearly hope that I got their characters right. If they seem a bit OOC it might be because I decided to make them a little more mature since this is set ten years in the future... and by then I'm sure they would have changed, somehow. Anyway please R&R! I already have a few chapters written here but I'm not upload any until I receive some reviews -insert evil laugh-


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes:

You guys have no idea how flattered I am to see so many of you alert, favorite and review this story.I mean, sure I experienced the same thing with my other story, but to see so my inbox actually filled with notifications made my day. Thank you guys! :)

Also, to **EK12 **: I checked out the story you mentioned and I think we do have different plots. Just have some similarities with the way the first chapter started.

And without further ado, I present to you, Chapter 2.

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Chapter 2

It was early morning and the sun was just beginning to rise, colouring the sky with a light shade of blue. The roads were still fairly empty with only a car or two occasionally passing by and the stores were still preparing for opening up and starting a new day.

Somewhere in the residential area, a young man was running in the street. Chocolate brown hair flying around as the young man increased his speed after his equally chocolate brown eyes spared a glance at the watch on his wrist. "Hiiee! I'm gonna be late!" he exclaimed as he continued running through the street avoiding the occasional joggers and newspaper boys distributing newspaper to the houses.

It was still relatively early for people to be awake at this time and leaving for work, most would probably be still asleep or in the kitchen preparing breakfast, however, he had to leave really early and help prepare and open the shop. And if the Chihuahua in that big house didn't have such a long chain that enabled it to run around, he wouldn't have had to go around and take a different route to work.

Clutching the strap of his bag to ensure that it won't fall off his shoulders, he was too focused on running and not being late that he didn't notice the presence of another person on the other side as he turned the corner and ran straight into him.

The sheer force of him running and the sudden impact of bumping with the other was enough to make him fall back to the road on his butt and his bag fell and opened, scattering some of its contents on to the road. "Ow..." he hissed as he sat up on the road, rubbing his hand which he used to somewhat support himself when he fell. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to run into you. Are you okay?" he asked in concern as he looked back to the person he had bumped into.

A tall man sat in front of him, obviously thrown back by the impact as well and was scratching the back of his head. The man looked at him, hazel eyes meeting chocolate brown, before the man broke into a grin. "Haha! No, it's okay. I wasn't paying attention either." He said sheepishly before helping him pick up some of his belongings from the floor.

"Here." He handed him a small notebook which the brunette accepted gratefully. "Thank you; and I'm really sorry for bumping into you. I was in a hurry." He apologized again as he finished placed his things back in his bag. The man laughed again before standing up and brushed the dirt off his pants. "Don't worry about it!" he said cheerfully "And like I said, I wasn't paying attention either." He grinned again and offered a hand for the brunette.

Taking the offered hand, the brunette spared a glance at the tall man and muttered a soft thanks before he too dusted off the dirt from his pants. "Um, not to be rude or anything but, have we met somewhere before?" he looked up at the tall man who still had a smile on his face. "Not that I know of." He answered as he slung the bag on his shoulder, his gaze still on the tall man.

"That so, huh? Sorry 'bout that. You just really looked like someone I know." The man grinned again, scratching the back of his head. "I'm Takeshi by the way, Yamamoto Takeshi." He said cheerfully. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can just call me Tsuna." The brunette answered back, smiling brightly before he froze, remembering something.

Noticing the sudden change, Yamamoto tilted his head "Something wrong Tsuna?" he asked and watched as the brunette quickly brought his hand up and glanced at his watch before he incessantly gawked. "HIIIEEEE! Oh no! I'm late!" he shrieked as he briskly walked past Yamamoto. "I have to go now! It was nice meeting you Yamamoto-san! And sorry again!" he shouted back as he started to run again.

Yamamoto stared at the retreating back of the small brunette; aware of the two presences that suddenly appeared behind him. "It's him. I'm sure of it." He said, his tone becoming serious as he turned to face the other two.

The oldest of the three scoffed "Only my Dame student can scream that girly scream of his." The man tilted his head towards the direction of the brunette, revealing dark eyes underneath the black fedora he wore. The other two just nodded, Yamamoto grinning at the remark while the other just frowned. "And?" the man with the fedora asked returning the conversation to Yamamoto who nodded. "It's confirmed. The reports about Tsuna are accurate. There's no mistake." He told them, looking serious.

"Are you sure about that baseball-nut?" the third person finally spoke and Yamamoto turned to him nodding again. "Yeah, you saw it yourself Gokudera, he didn't recognize me. Even when I looked into his eyes, there was no recognition in them. He didn't know who I was." He said, a smile still on his face, though with a hint of sadness in it.

Gokudera sighed and ran a hand through his hair, hands itching for a cigarette. "So it is true then." he mumbled under his breath, remembering what happened on the meeting a few days ago.

Flashback

All of the Guardians had arrived in the meeting room as well as Reborn and Gokudera could sense that everyone in the room was eager to know about the whereabouts of their boss. Gokudera turned to Iemitsu. "So, where's jyuudaime?" he inquired. Iemitsu glanced at him for a second before answering

"Namimori."

Gasps of surprise were heard from several guardians while other merely stared in shock.

"Tsuna's in Namimori?"

"But that was the first place we extremely looked for him and he extremely wasn't there!"

"Is it possible that we missed some place that boss could've been staying at?"

"Impossible. Unlike you herbivores, I know every place in Namimori. He wasn't there."

"I hate to admit it, but Hibari's right, Jyuudaime wasn't there when we searched for him."

"Oh? Then how is it that Tsunayoshi is in Namimori now? Are you _sure_ you know every place in Namimori?"

"What did you say herbivore?"

"Kufufu... you heard me."

"I will bite you to death."

"Kufufufu... You've been saying that for the past ten years now and you still can't do it."

"Now now, you two shouldn't be fighting, we're in a meeting."

"Oh boy, here they go again."

"M-Mukuro-sama..."

"Not again..."

"EXTREME!"

"Enough."

Everyone stopped turned silent as they turned to the fedora wearing man at the end of the table. Reborn was glaring at them and when they had returned to their seats, turned to Iemitstu who turned to Basil.

Basil looked at Iemitsu who nodded. Basil stood up and took out folders that were handed out to the guardians and Reborn.

"Tsuna is in Namimori." He repeated as the guardians accepted and opened the folders, inspecting it. "It was actually by accident that we found him. We were in Japan meeting with one of the Yakuza groups in Namimori when there was a sudden attack from the rival yakuza group in the building and they ordered a lockdown." He started explaining and watched their reactions, knowing what was inside the folder.

"And since we were already there, they had asked us to help them. Oregano had been assigned in watching the surveillance room, when she noticed someone familiar among the crowd watching outside the building." He continued explaining. Gokudera stared at the pictures provided in the folder. It was a picture of a corner street in Namimori. It was slightly blurry and the quality wasn't that good. But his eyes were focused on one person standing somewhere in the middle of the crowd.

Brown hair and eyes peeked out from the crowd of people and the face of their beloved boss; although looking slightly away from the camera, most likely looking at the building, could be clearly seen.

"She had called me the moment she recognized that it was Tsuna, however, since the building was in a lockdown, we couldn't go after him." Iemitsu sighed. "So you're saying that you lost Tsunayoshi because you couldn't get outside?" Mukuro scoffed "And here I thought you finally found him." Iemitsu glared at him before deciding to continue his report."No. we didn't. Although it is true that Oregano and I couldn't leave the building, Basil was currently outside, retrieving a document he had forgotten at the hotel." He said.

Everyone's attention seemed to perk up at this and turned to Basil who was sitting beside Iemitsu. "I was on my way back to the hotel when I had received a call from Master." He informed them. "After I made it back to the building, I immediately searched through the crowd for Sawada-dono. I found him somewhere outside the crowd, walking away. However..." Basil paused, a frown marred his face.

"What is it?" Gokudera asked, urging Basil to continue. "Something was wrong with Sawada-dono." He told them. Gokudera furrowed his brows "Something wrong?" Basil nodded. "What was wrong with Tsuna?" this time it was Yamamoto who asked.

"Well," Basil started "when I approached Sawada-dono, he didn't recognize me." The guardians looked at him, surprise evident in their features. "What do you mean he didn't extremely recognize you?" Ryouhei shouted slamming his hand at the table. "Maybe he was just pretending that he didn't recognize you?" Lambo asked making the rest of the guardians look at him. "Why the hell would jyuudaime do that?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Now now, everyone calm down." Yamamoto told them as he turned to Basil. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, completely serious. Basil nodded "Yes. He merely looked at me and said that I probably had mistaken him for someone else. Master even had me and Oregano watch him for the next couple of days." He told them "Oregano also tried to approach him; however he really didn't recognize us. It really was as if he didn't remember..." Basil ended his explanation, frowning a little before glancing at Iemitsu who had an unreadable expression on his face.

"Tsuna lost his memories."

End Flashback

After that, they had decided that someone from the Guardians should go and bring back Tsuna as well as investigate and find out what really happened to their boss and Reborn, Yamamoto and Gokudera were the ones tasked to do it. The other guardians protested, especially Ryhouhei and Hibari was angry for being left in charge in Gokudera's place, but they couldn't just all go to Japan and leave Vongola behind.

"So," Yamamoto started, bringing the other two's attention on him "now that we've confirmed that Tsuna really doesn't remember anything, what do we do now?" Yamamoto asked, grinning at the two. Reborn turned to Gokudera, who had a thoughtful look on his face. "Well?" Reborn asked as he leaned on the wall.

Gokudera remained silent for a few more seconds before turning to look at Reborn "We'll do as what you've suggested, Reborn-san." He answered and Reborn smirked. He knew that after seeing the report about his dame-student Gokudera would agree to his plan. It was after all easier this way to investigate about what happened to the brunette without the brunette actually noticing. And who knows, they might actually be able to get their boss back faster.

Pushing himself off the wall, he slightly tilted his fedora lower "Alright, then let's get started." He turned to walk away with Gokudera and Yamamoto following behind.

"Oh, by the way, Gokudera." Yamamoto called making Gokudera turn to him with a grunt "What?" "Are you sure it's alright to leave your work to Hibari?" Yamamoto asked, smile ever present in his face. Gokudera snorted, remembering how Hibari looked like he was about to murder him. "That bastard's been handling paperwork for the Disciplinary Committee since middle school, what's putting a few more stacks in his office gonna do?" he placed both of his hands in his pocket. "Besides, most of the damn paperwork was caused by him anyway. Let him get a taste of his own medicine."

Yamamoto stared at Gokudera for a second before the smile on his face turned to a grin. "Haha! I guess that's true." He said as he laughed "Though I do wonder how you got him to do it." Yamamoto wondered aloud as he crossed his hands behind his head. Gokudera scoffed "I just told him that if he temporarily took my place then he'd be able to get Mukuro to do _anything_ and he wouldn't be able to complain." He smirked as he answered.

It was a simple idea, really. All he had to do was bait Hibari with the idea of ordering the pinapple bastard around and he easily agreed. Now, even if he did want to fight Mukuro, he'd have to think twice if he didn't want the paperwork to pile up because of them and hopefully, Mukuro would stop being so fucking annoying if he didn't want Hibari ordering him around.

An evil chuckle escaped Gokudera's lips as he thought of the punishment he gave the Cloud and Mist Guardians.

Yamamoto just smiled as they continued to walk along the street. "That's pretty mean, Gokudera." He hummed before laughing lightly.

"Shut up."

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Author's Notes:

I found myself grinning when I reread the last part of this fic. However I will make it clear that there are no pairings in this fic except for... well, there's one pairing. But I'm not telling who XD So you guys will just have to guess and wait and see what happens next :)

R&R


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes:

Again, thank you for all the reviews and alerts and favorites! Knowing that so many people like the story makes me smile every time! :)

And I forgot to mention this in the previous chapter, and it's probably already obvious, but I want to say it anyway. Reborn here, as well as the other Arcobaleno have returned to their original forms after Tsuna and co. have found a way to break the curse. (although the recent chapters crushed that hope of mine -weeps-)

Anyway, I present to you, Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

The dim light of the moon illuminated the forest, allowing the figure walking around to see the small dirt path that led to the designated destination. After walking for a few more minutes, pushing away branches and leaves that strayed along the dirt path, he finally came to a small clearing where an old abandoned warehouse stood.

Not bothering to inspect the perimeter, the figure entered the old building, avoiding old, dusty boxes and rusting machinery with the aid of the dim moonlight that entered through the broken windows. Bending over a little to evade a large spider web, the figure stopped and stood facing the back wall of the building where a large, collapsed generator laid. A long, dusty white cloth draped over the left side, casting a dark shadow on the other side.

The figure didn't move, waiting, searching for the presence of another human, a small piece of paper held in his right hand. Seconds, minutes passed by and still no one came. The figure tilted his head, starting to get bored and was thinking of heading back when he froze and let a smile grace his lips.

"It seems you finally decided to show up."

The figure spoke, casting his eyes over the shadowed part of the generator. "Why don't you come out and show me who you are? After all, you did call me out to such a far, desolated place." He called out, his voice smoothly flowing from his lips as he continued to stare into the dark shadow.

To any, other normal person, they wouldn't be able to tell if there was someone hiding in the shadow, however, to the figure standing in the middle of the warehouse, it was apparent that someone was indeed there. And even if the person standing there didn't come out, his presence was enough to tell the figure that he was there.

Seconds passed, however the person didn't move from his place and the figure standing in the middle was starting to get impatient. "It seems that you still won't show yourself to me. I even came all the way here, it's quite rude, you know." He chided as he took out his weapon and sent an attack on the shadowed part of the generator.

As his attack reached and pulverized the right side of the generator, he finally felt the presence move and jump away from the cloud of dust that formed from the explosion and landed on top of the boxes piled near the window. The figure looked up at the man; aside from the hood that hid his identity, the light of the moon coming from the windows behind him casted a shadow, further concealing the face of the man.

"I apologize. I was just thinking of whether I could trust you or not."

The figure's eyes widened as he heard the man speak. That voice... no, it wasn't possible... but the familiarity...

"Although you really don't have a choice. Either way, you will have to follow me whether you like it or not."

The figure was intently staring at the man now. That voice, there's no mistaking it, it was-

"Oh? And how do you know that I will actually follow you, choice or no choice?" he questioned, his eyes never leaving the man. The man remained silent for a few seconds before a ghost of a smile graced his lips.

"You will help me, because in the end, you will benefit from it."

"Benefit?" the figure raised a brow. "And pray tell how I'd benefit from it. Whatever it is you plan to do." he spoke, and the man's smile grew, knowing that he now had the figure's interest piqued.

"I have a deal for you." He started as he hopped down the boxes and landed in front of the figure. "If you follow and help me with my plan, I'll give you want you want." He offered, as he now looked up at the figure.

The figure stilled for a moment, obviously weighing the pros and cons of his offer, before dropping his fighting stance and stepping closer to the man.

"Oh? And what is this deal you're telling me about? Care to enlighten me?" the figure asked, obviously intrigued by the man in front of him. At hearing this, the man's smiled turned saccharinely sweet, as if he hadn't just been threatening one of the world's most dangerous Mafioso.

"So you'll help me."

The words came out more as a statement than a question. The man tilted his head upward, allowing the figure to catch a glimpse of the face hidden beneath.

The look in the figures eyes was enough of an answer for the man and he couldn't help but laugh, as he stared at the taller man standing in front of him, a dark look shadowed his sharp eyes. Now that everything was set in place, he could now start his plan.

He would get his revenge.

* * *

The aromatic scent or brewed coffee and pastries wafted through the air as customers entered the small cafe located in the corner street a few blocks away from the underground mall of Namimori.

"Welcome!"

Tsuna greeted as he turned to the door, hearing the small bell attached to it tinkle as it swung open, before entertaining the customers and leading them to one of the vacant tables. It had been a month since he first started working in the small cafe.

He had been looking for a job and saw an ad about working part time in a cafe. Having no means of income, he had eagerly applied the next day and was ecstatic at being accepted. Ever since then, he had continued to come to work always on time, except for that one morning where he had accidentally bumped against that tall man. "...Yamamoto-san, was it?" he muttered as he walked back to the counter to place another order.

"Tsunayoshi-kun"

Tsuna turned to see the manager, a middle-aged man with a kind smile, looking at him. He sauntered over to the bar where the manager was before the manager spoke "Could you go to table number five and get the customer's order?" he asked kindly. "Is there something wrong?"Tsuna asked as he turned to table number five where a dark haired man wearing a suit and fedora sat, arms crossed and was looking around the cafe.

"Well, you see," the manager started "it seems none of the other staff would go near him saying that he kept on glaring at them whenever they would take his order. And as you can see, I can't exactly leave the counter at the moment and handle the problem itself." He said apologetically and gestured to the counter where the baristas walking about and mixing the drinks that were ordered. "We've got quite a lot of orders today." The manager added.

Tsuna turned back to look at the man sitting at the table who also turned to look at the counter, where he was, and smirked before looking out the window. "What if he still doesn't order? Should I ask him to leave?" he asked and the manager thought for a second before smiling back at him "No, probably just another one of those grumpy customers we have every now and then. I'm sure you could handle it just like the other times." He answered calmly "If not, then just come and tell me and I'll handle it." He added before going back to the beverage he was mixing.

Tsuna nodded, eyes still directed at the man on table number five "Okay." He said then headed on to the table, avoiding chairs and tables on the way. Taking out a small notepad, he stopped about a feet away from the man

"Good morning sir." He greeted, but the man didn't seem to notice, either that, or he was ignoring him. "Can I take your order?" he tried to get the man's attention, speaking a bit louder than usual so that he was sure the man heard him.

After what seemed like decades, but in reality was just mere seconds, the man finally looked up from the black fedora he was wearing and sent a glare at him.

Tsuna flinched and wondered if the manager guessed right, this man didn't seem like those other grumpy ones that they would have sometimes. Moreover, judging by the way the man dressed, dark, crisp suit, perfectly knotted tie and black fedora hat, he'd say that the man was probably one of those rich, upper class people who would rarely come to such a small cafe as this one.

"Can I take your order?" he repeated his question and tried to suppress the urge to flinch again when the man's glare intensified, as if he was scrutinizing him, and instead, stood his ground.

"You want to take my order." The words came out more like a statement than a question and Tsuna once again questioned his manager's observation. This man wasn't the grumpy type of customer, this man was something else. The vibes that the man seemed to radiate was more like from someone who held a high position or authority and was angry at being questioned. He wondered silently if the man was, by chance, a food critic or something similar since he seemed to be observing the cafe earlier.

Making sure that his smile was still in his face, Tsuna answered. "Yes sir, I want to take your order." He said in a relatively nice way, his eyes remained on the man in front of him.

Seconds that felt like decades passed between them as the man kept his eyes on the brunette, the glare still there but Tsuna could see that there was something else in those eyes, something different, calculating. It was as if the man was analyzing him. And for some strange reason, something compelled Tsuna to stand his ground and just wait for the man to answer, so he did just that, even though deep inside he wanted to cower back from the intensity of the glare the man was giving him.

Another second passed before the glare lessened and the man crossed his arms and leaned back on the chair, dark eyes peered up at him from the black fedora hat on his head. "What's the cafe specialty?" he asked and Tsuna blinked at the sudden change before remembering the question. "U-Um, well, the cafe's specialty depends on what day it is." He started "Since today is Friday, the cafe's specialty is..." he spared a glance at the menu board propped up on the wall behind the counter. "Ristretto.*" he answered.

"Then I'll have that." The man answered and Tsuna quickly brought out his small notepad and scribbled on the order. "Um, is that all, sir?" he asked, glancing back at the man who sent another glare at him.

Flinching again and letting out a small 'Hiiee!', he quickly muttered "R-Right, um, your order is o-one Ristretto." He fidgeted as he repeated the order. "Y-Your drink will be served shortly" before hastily returning to the counter to give the order to the baristas.

Obsidian eyes followed the brunette as Reborn continued to watch the young man's movements. A smirk made it's was to his face as he lowered his fedora. Leon slowly came out from its hiding place behind the fedora and landed on his shoulder. "It seems the backbone that dame-student of mine grew years ago is still there despite the memory loss." He said, remembering the way his student stayed in his place even though he could see the brunette wanted to cower back from his glare.

Years ago, Tsuna wouldn't have been able to stand up to him like that. It was only recently that his student was able to stand his ground like that, whether Reborn was serious of just teasing him. Leon flicked his tongue, seemingly in agreement before returning back to its hiding place behind the fedora.

Although, based from their interaction earlier, it's certain that Tsuna indeed has no memories of them and, most likely, himself. Even though Yamamoto had already confirmed it the first day they arrived in Namimori, he wanted to see for himself it what Yamamoto said was true. It wasn't that he doubted the Rain Guardian's observation, however he knew his student in ways that his Guardians would never understand.

Seeing those brown chocolate orbs fill with nothing but curiosity and a bit of wariness, probably from his glare, and no sign of recognition at all Reborn was now certain that the assumption Iemitsu gave them was true. Even the brunette's actions didn't give Reborn anything to say that the brunette was only pretending, meaning that Tsuna really has no memories.

The smirk on his face faltering the smallest bit; almost unnoticeable, as Reborn continued to watch the brunette walking around the cafe and taking orders from the customers. "It seems like my plan is the most appropriate action to take after all." He uttered to himself as he silently sat by the window and watched his dame-student trip and shriek like a girl.

* * *

Author's Notes:

*Ristretto - it's a type of espresso that has a finer texture and lighter color.

I'm not that satisfied with how this chapter ended. For some reason I'm just not. And have I mentioned how hard it is to write Reborn? No? Then let me repeat. . . . So he might be a bit OOC here (and probably in the following chapters too). If he is, my apologies.

As always, please R&R.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes:

Not much to say here except for thanks you to all those who reviewed, favorited and alerted this story. :)

* * *

Chapter 4

The smell of books permeated the air as Tsuna came out of the store room carrying a large box. Peeking out from above the box, he carefully avoided the people standing along the aisles and stands that stood alongside them as he made his way towards the second to the last aisle located near the back of the store.

Unfortunately, he had been too focused on balancing the large box in his hands and avoiding the people that he hadn't noticed a much smaller box lying on the floor and had tripped over it as he was about to turn at the designated aisle. Letting out a yelp of surprise, the brunette wasn't able to keep his balance because of the large box he was carrying and precariously trying his best not to fall over.

Just as he was about to fall, though, he felt strong hands hold the box in place and he finally managed to keep his balance.

"Phew, that was close."

Perking up at the voice, Tsuna looked up to see emerald green eyes staring back at him and a grateful smile graced his lips. "Ah, thank you, Gokudera-san. I would've fallen if you weren't there." he said and Gokudera beamed, making some of the female customers who had seen it blush. "No problem Tsuna-san! Just glad I made it in time!" he happily replied and helped Tsuna carry the box as then entered the aisle.

"U-Um, you could just call me Tsuna, Gokudera-san. I'm not really used to being called Tsuna-san." Tsuna said as Gokudera placed the box down on the floor. Gokudera looked up "Eh? Then Tsuna-san should call me by my first name too since I'd get to call you by yours." He replied back and only smiled sheepishly in reply. "Ah..."

It had been three days since the Japanese Italian was introduced among the staff and was warmly welcomed by the manager and the man was seen usually by his side, if not literally following him around.

"Anyway, these books are supposed to go up here, right?" Gokudera asked as he pointed towards the empty space in the bookshelf. "Ah, yes." Tsuna nodded as he took out a cutter from his pocket and handed it to Gokudera and watched him as the silver haired man bend down and cut through the packaging tape on top of the box.

He suddenly remembered the first day Gokudera started working at the bookstore and he couldn't help but let out a smile. The manager had asked him to help and guide Gokudera around work, and at first he was a bit hesitant since the silver haired man always wore a scowl on his face and he looked a little scary and left him an impression of one of those guys who came barging in to your house asking for the money you owe them from a loan, but since the manager had asked him to guide him around he didn't have a choice.

At first he thought that Gokudera was one of those people who tended to get angry easily and not listen to anything he would say so he was surprised when Gokudera merely took out a small notebook from his pocket and started writing notes on it, listening intently as he explained the all of the things that needed to be done.

He was even more surprised when the man actually smiled as helped him carry a few boxes in the storage room. After that, his view of the Gokudera started to change. True, the man seemed to have that scowl permanently on his face sometimes, but once he was asked to do something, he'd do it right away and properly and as the days passed, he slowly got to know the silver haired man.

When he had to explain something, the taller man paid his undivided attention to him, the scowl changed by a serious expression. Whenever he would help Tsuna with something the man would more often than not, beam brightly at him whenever he expressed his thanks.

He also had a tendency to bow, _a lot_, whenever he'd do something wrong. The first time he did that, Tsuna was at a loss on what to do to make the man stop. Though he wasn't sure why Gokudera only did it to him and not to the others and the manager whom he'd just mutter an apology to, lowering his head a little.

"Here you go, Tsuna-san."

Tsuna looked back at Gokudera as he took the cutter with a small thanks and placed it back in his pocket. It was a bit awkward at first and a bit strange, but for some reason he felt comfortable and at ease around him even though they just met three days ago.

Walking over to where Gokudera was crouched down, he carefully picked a few books up and started to place them on the shelves. Seconds later, Gokudera was doing the same. They passed the time in silence, nothing but the shuffling of books and the noise from the background heard between them.

Feeling the need to break the silence, Tsuna cleared his throat. "You know, there was an interesting customer at the cafe this morning." He started, making Gokudera glance at him as he continued to place the books on the shelf. "Really? What was he like?" Gokudera asked, interest showing in his green eyes.

Tsuna hummed, thinking of words to describe the man with the fedora hat. "Hmm, I didn't really notice him at first. At least not until the manager asked me to take his order." He paused. "Apparently, he was another one of those grumpy customers we have since he kept on glaring at any staff that came to take his order." He explained.

"What! So he was probably glaring at you too Tsuna-san! He probably caused you trouble! How dare he do that to you! What did he look like Tsuna-san? I'm gonna blow him up!" Gokudera exclaimed, clenching his fists to prevent himself from bringing out his dynamites.

Tsuna let out a small 'Hiiee!', surprised at the sudden outbusrt before raising his hands in a calming gesture. "A-Ah, d-don't worry about it Gokudera-san. It wasn't that bad, and I already took care of it." He explained and Gokudera turned to him with something akin to awe in his eyes. "As expected of Jyu- erm Tsuna-san!" Gokudera scratched the back of his head, silently berating himself for almost calling Tsuna Jyuudaime.

Tsuna blinked at Gokudera's response before letting an amused smile fall on his face. He didn't know why the silver haired man acted that way, but he could feel that the man was only concerned for him; though it was a bit embarrassing at times, especially when the silver haired man would explode in front of the customers.

Grabbing a book from the box he started to put the books into the shelf again. "Anyway, I just went over and asked him what he wanted to order." He explained; a thoughtful expression on his face. "Although I don't really think that that customer was one of those grumpy ones we'd have sometimes." He added.

This seemed to quirk Gokudera's interest as he turned to him "How so, Tsuna-san?" he asked. Tsuna paused for a moment and stared back at the book he was holding. "Well, for starters his clothes were different. He wore a black suit and a fedora hat."

_Thud_

"Gokudera-san?" Tsuna tilted his head in question and Gokudera quickly bent down to grab the book that he accidentally let go of. "Ah, sorry Tsuna-san, it just reminded me of someone I know." He said, laughing nervously, scratching the back of his head.

Tsuna blinked "I see." Smiling a bit at the man, he continued to place the book he held on the shelf before sighing tiredly. "You okay Tsuna-san?" Gokudera asked worriedly.

Tsuna just smiled "I'm fine. Just tired." He said as he lightly rubbed his eyes "I worked overtime last night remember? And one of my neighbour's asked me to watch over her kids because her husband got caught in an accident." He told him as he placed the last book in the shelf. "Luckily, her husband didn't get hurt too much and she returned a couple of hours later." He finished as he looked at the now full bookshelf.

Satisfied at their work he turned to face Gokudera. "Well, since we're done, we should probably put these extra books back." He bent down to pick the box up but stopped when a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Let me do it."

Tsuna looked back at the silver haired man who just smiled at him "You said you were tired, didn't you?" he said as he picked up the box. "Besides, it's the least I can do after you helped me adjust here." He added as he looked back at Tsuna who blinked back. "Ah, yes. Thank you, Gokudera-san." He smiled gratefully as they started to emerge from the aisle and back into the storage room.

Gokudera beamed, once again making the female customers who saw him blush "It's nothing! Anything for you Tsuna-san!" he replied happily and as he watched the silver haired man walking happily as he followed him, Tsuna couldn't help but smile as well. It was times like this when Gokudera reminded him of a small, cute puppy.

The smile on Gokudera's face faltered a little as he remembered the conversation they had back at the aisle. It seems Reborn had also started to take his place based on the plan they had decided on after confirming the report about Tsuna's memory loss.

His smile slowly turned to its usual scowl as his thoughts returned to the plan. It was simple, really. Based from the information on the report that came from Basil and Iemitsu, they would slowly incorporate themselves into Tsuna's daily life, how they do it was up to them, and then slowly start to make the brunette open up about himself and make him talk about his memory loss.

When the brunette finally does so, they would use the opportunity to investigate what really happened to their boss and also find a way to get his memories back.

Aside from that, the plan also made protecting Tsuna easier. It wasn't confirmed, but Iemitsu mentioned the possibility of other famiglias already targeting the young boss since they didn't know how long the brunette had been walking around the streets of Namimori. It was possible that other famiglias and enemies have caught sight of the Vongola don and might be preparing for a surprise attack.

"Gokudera-san?"

The voice brought him back from his thoughts as Gokudera looked up; noticing the questioning look Tsuna was giving him a few steps away. It seemed that he had unconsciously stopped walking as he got lost in thought.

"Is something wrong?" the brunette asked as he stepped forward and the silver aired man hastily shook his head before scurrying over to where Tsuna stood. "It's nothing Tsuna-san! Just got a little distracted, that's all." He said sheepishly.

Tsuna stared at him for a while longer. "Are you sure? You looked pretty serious a while ago." Tsuna inquired and Gokudera nodded. "I-I was just wondering when the next issue of that magazine about aliens and UMA was gonna come out." He half lied.

In the three days that he'd kept close with Tsuna, the brunette's hyper intuition seemed to be more active than before and would always notice whenever he wasn't necessarily saying the truth. He'd usually stop asking after he'd received half truths though Gokudera wondered why. Tsuna disliked lying even if it was partially hinted with the truth, moreover a whole lie, and wouldn't stop asking until he got the truth. So this change in behaviour intrigued Gokudera.

Content with the answer, Tsuna blinked "Oh, I see. According to the delivery records, the next issue will be out by next week." He smiled "I didn't think you were the type to be so interested in such things, Gokudera-san." He said as he opened the door for Gokudera since the silver haired man's hands were full with the box.

Perking up at seeing the change in topic and a chance to share his interest, Gokudera happily explained to him about the various conspiracy theories and facts about UMA's and aliens and all the other unusual creatures that were said to roam the planet and Tsuna found out the hard way that he should never mention anything UMA related to the other man. That is, if he didn't want his brain to explode from the onslaught of scientific explanations and theories from the other.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I'm not exactly that happy with this chapter. I can't write Gokudera properly here while he's with Tsuna and I actually had to edit this a couple of times. Not that I find Gokudera hard to write. Not really. Just that It's hard to write him when he's with Tsuna because he of his tendency to turn a 180 degrees whenever he's with Tsuna. Ugh, even explaining it is hard. I'm not sure if he's OOC in here but I tried my best to keep him in character.

Anyway, I hoped that you guys enjoyed this chapter. And if you find the flow of the story a bit slow, don't worry, it's just in the first few chapters. The story will get more intense (I think) after three (if I estimated correctly) chapters.

As always, reviews are much appreciated and encourage me to update faster. The more reviews, the faster you'd find out what exactly happened to our beloved tuna-fish! XD

R&R


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes:

Okay, so after I read **aira-rein**'s review(thank you for telling me that), I decided to edit this chapter since the last part was rather confusing. I'll also try to edit Chapter 4 when I have the time to do so since I realized that my tendency to shift POV's without any indication is starting to come out again. To all those who got confused at the way I wrote it, I apologize.

Anyway, here's the edited version.

To **Kyara17**: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the story. Though at first I really didn't understand your review, so I used Google Translate to so that I'd understand. Thank you again :)

To **AzureKurashin:** You have to guess again~ lol I'm not telling. XD

* * *

Chapter 5

Tsuna slung his bag over his shoulder as he closed the small locker where his uniform was kept. "I'm going on ahead, Gokudera-san." He said, turning to the silver haired man before walking towards the back door. "Alright, see you tomorrow Tsuna-san!" Gokudera answered back and Tsuna gave a small wave before going out the door.

Once he was out on the street he quickly turned towards the direction of his apartment, shoulders sagging a little. He was really tired. Having two jobs was tiring, especially when he had to wake up really early for the first one and his second one lasted until dusk.

Stopping at a pedestrian, he sighed again as he waited for the light to turn green.

"Oh? It's you again."

Looking up at the voice, chocolate orbs met hazel ones again. Tsuna blinked "Ah, you're... the one from the other day." He paused as he recalled the name "Yamamoto-san, right?" he asked and the tall man grinned. "Yup! But being called Yamamoto-san just sounds too formal, you can just call me Takeshi." The man cheerfully said.

Tsuna blinked before waving his hand "E-Eh? But calling you by your fist name sounds a bit presumptuous a-and besides..." he paused as the light turned green and they crossed the road "We just met the other day and-" "Eh? But you asked me to call you by your first name though." Yamamoto turned back, smile still on his face.

"Well, t-that's true but..." Tsuna faltered as they reached the other side "Then, is calling you Yamamoto just fine?" he looked up at the tall man again whose smile grew "Haha! Yeah, Yamamoto's fine. I'm just not comfortable being called so formally." He noticed Tsuna staring at him "Something wrong?" he asked

Tsuna blushed, embarrassed at being caught staring and fiercely shook his head. "A-Ah n-no! J-Just... I didn't know you worked at a sushi restaurant." He pointed to the uniform Yamamoto was wearing as well as the box he was carrying.

Yamamoto laughed "Yeah, my dad owns the place and I sometimes help out." He said scratching the back of his head. "I usually stay in the kitchen but sometimes I help out with the deliveries too." He explained as he lifted the bag for Tsuna to see "Dad's sushi is really popular."

"Takesushi" Tsuna read aloud, "Huh, I haven't been there before." He admitted. He's heard the name from some of his co-workers as well as some of the customers, but he's never really been to the place before. Takeshi blinked after hearing his words, his smile dropped for a second before returning. "Haha! Really? Why don't you come back with me then? I just finished my last delivery and I can treat you to some sushi!" he said , laughing lightly and for some reason, Tsuna was sure the man would've crossed his arms over his head if he wasn't holding onto the delivery bag, though he had no idea why.

Remembering the offer, Tsuna smiled apologetically. "I'd really like too, Yamamoto-sa- er, Yamamto, but I'm afraid I'm feeling quite tired today so I'll probably just head back home." he answered and apologized again. Yamamoto waved it away and grinned "Nah, it's okay, Dad's shop isn't going anywhere anyway. You can just come and visit whenever you have the time." he said "So, where're you headed?" he asked after a moment of silence as they came upon a crossroad.

"Ah, my apartment's that way." Tsuna pointed to the left "Aw, and here I was starting to enjoy our conversation." Yamamoto said before pointing the other way. "Dad's shop is that way. Come and visit when you have the time okay? I'll treat you to some sushi." He grinned and Tsuna smiled back.

"Well, I guess I'd better get going then. See ya around Tsuna." Yamamoto waved, still grinning, before he started to walk in the direction he pointed to.

Tsuna waved back before he too, turned and went on his way.

Yamamoto kept walking, smile ever present in his face. He stopped a couple of steps after he turned the first corner as he felt the brunette's presence slowly moving away. He felt the presence of another two and he turned to see both Gokudera and Reborn standing behind him.

"Yo!" he greeted them, Reborn merely tilted his head and Gokudera grunted in reply. "So, how did it go?" Reborn asked and Yamamoto's smile grew smaller as he scratched his cheek. "Not much since this is the first time we actually talked." He answered.

"You? He turned to Gokudera who shrugged. "Same as the baseball-nut. Jyuudaime doesn't speak much about himself. Apparently, even the other employees don't know much about him, even the manager." He said, laying out his observations to the other two.

"What about you Reborn-san?" Gokudera asked.

Reborn tilted his fedora a little bit higher, causing Leon to emerge from behind and flicked its tongue. "Same as you guys. Nothing."

Both Gokudera and Yamamoto's shoulders sagged, almost unnoticeably, but Reborn caught it. "Don't act so depressed." He scoffed "We're just beginning our investigation. Just continue what you're doing. Eventually, that dame-student of mine will talk to us and, most likely, help us solve the mystery of his disappearance." He told them and both Gokudera and Yamamoto nodded, determination in their eyes.

Reborn smirked. Getting the brunette to trust his guardians once more and let them find out about his memory loss might pose a challenge, however these two won't easily back down. Especially if it meant getting their sky back to the way it was.

LINEBREAK

The sound of clicking echoed in the old warehouse as the tall figure walked in. Turning to the source of the sound, the man cocked an eyebrow as he saw the hooded figure sitting on the top of the boxes where he jumped to when they first met, typing away at a cellphone.

"Are you doing what I asked you to do?"

The he asked, not even bothering to take his eyes off the phone. The man chuckled. "Of course, something as easy as that could be done even by a mere amateur." The man replied, not even bothering to move from where he stood.

The clicking stopped as the hooded figure turned to look at him, the dim glow of the phone illuminating his face.

"You know, I'm surprised that you're actually following me."The clicking continued. "Though, as you said, something like that could be done by even an amateur."

The tall figure scoffed "Given the deal you proposed to me, it's not like I have a choice." He retorted back, the continuous clicking ringing in the air.

"And yet, you seem to be enjoying it."

A wicked smile graced the man's lips as he heard the words from the hooded figure. "Oh?" he chuckled before walking closer to the hooded figure. "Was it that obvious?" he asked as he stopped a few feet away.

The hooded figure stopped and gazed at the man standing a few feet away before smiling sweetly. "No. I just know you enough to know that you liked it." He said; his smile growing as he noticed the very slight falter on the other's smile.

The tall man remained silent at the other's words, knowing that it was said to irk him. However, instead of falling prey to the man's game, he decided to shift his gaze somewhere else. "You know," he started "the moment you told me of your plan, I knew that you would need someone else aside from me to carry it out. However..."

A sudden force shook the space behind the hooded figure, creating a large cloud of smoke.

"...I never expected that you would choose that man to be on your side." He finished as he held his weapon on one hand. A chuckle was heard.

"That was quite a rude greeting, wouldn't you agree?"

A figure walked out from behind the boxes, he was taller than the hooded figure but slightly shorter than his attacker and had spiky hair. He looked up at the hooded figure who was still sitting on top, seemingly unaffected by the attack. "You were hiding." Came the short reply from the hooded figure as he hid his phone in his pocket.

The newly arrived blinked, before a pout replaced his cheeky smile. "But I thought you'd introduce me." He answered back, sparing a glance at his attacker.

"I was going to, but you suddenly went outside." The hooded figure explained and the spiky haired man huffed. "In case you haven't noticed, this place doesn't have a any decent bathrooms." He complained, crossing his arms and the hooded figure remained silent.

The tallest figure watched the two from his place, not bothering to move any closer. He turned to the hooded man who was still looking at the other. "Are you serious about this? Having him on your side?" he inquired. The other two turned to him, the spiky haired figure smiling again.

"Is there a problem with my choice?" the hooded figure asked. "Both you and I know that he's more than capable than any other I could possibly choose." He added and the tallest figure remained silent.

It was true, what he said. The man was more capable and more powerful than most of the others that could possible help carry out the plan, even he would admit it. However...

"Besides," the spiky haired man stepped up, earning the attention of the two. "Long before you were made aware of this, I was already a part of the plan." His eyes turned serious as he stared into the eyes of the taller man before it was replaced with the gleeful one earlier. "Right?" he turned to the hooded figure.

"That's enough."

The authoritative tone of the voice seemed to ring in the old warehouse, despite being said in the same volume as the others. The hooded figure hopped down from his seat, eyes levelling those of the two. "We didn't come here to have idle talk. Now that that two of you know each other, it's time we discussed about the actual plan, no?" he said, the expressions of the other two turning completely serious.

A smirk graced his features as he began to tell them of the plan, the feeling of excitement bubbling inside him.

Soon.

He was going to have his revenge soon.

And the famiglia that took everything away from him will start to crumble.

His smirk grew more sinister as he thought of the impending doom he was going to bring.

He was going to destroy the Vongola.

And no one can stop him.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Okay, I know I said I edited this but I only actually changed a few lins and added some distinguishing factors to the three mysterious people plotting in the warehouse. If it's still confusing, here's a short description:

Hooded figure - as his description says (and it's pretty much self-explanatory), he wears a hood. He always does until I reveal who he is. Until then, there will always be a hood over his head. I usually just write him as hooded figure or hooded man.

!st figure - he's the first 'figure' that the hooded figure was talking to in Chapter 3. I decided to just describe him as tall, so he will always be referred to as that. e.g. tallest figure, tall man, taller man etc.

2nd figure - I don't really know how to describe this guy, so I settled for him to be spiky haired since it's the most vague description I can give him. So from now on, he will always be called/described spiky hair.

Yeah, it still sounds a bit confusing, even to me. But I really can't give them anymore distinguishing features, so this is the best I can do. Hopefully this makes it a bit easier to read now. If not, please tell me and I will edit it again.

Also, please tell me if you see any errors, grammar, tensing, phrasing, spelling flow of the story, anything that you think is an error in the English language and I will correct it.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes:

If you haven't checked the last chapter yet, you can go check it out. I edited the last part since aira-rein said it was a bit confusing who's who and I made some changes to help distinguish them.

* * *

Chapter 6

Lambo was lazing around on the long sofa, stifling a yawn while I-pin sat on the armchair next to it, drinking tea. They had just returned from a mission and were currently occupying one of the many lounging rooms of the Vongola mansion.

An explosion was suddenly heard from the east wing of the mansion, making the two teens look up from what they were doing. "Oh boy, there they go again." Lambo lazily said, tilting his head towards the window where smoke could be seen from the direction of the explosion.

"I think this is the fourth time since Gokudera-san and the others left." I-pin commented as she lowered her tea cup on to the small plate, her brows furrowed a little in worry. "Both of them seem to be really upset with the decision Gokudera-san made." She added.

"Gokudera-nii's punishment only seemed to make their fighting worse rather than to lessen it." Lambo stifled another yawn before he waved a hand. "Anyway, there's nothing we can do about." He said nonchalantly. I-pin stared at him before turning her gaze down at the cup she held. "That's true."

It's been a week since Gokudera, Yamamoto and Reborn left for Japan to retrieve Tsuna and the despite orders from the Sotm Guardian to take care of Vongola while they were away, the Cloud and Mist Guardians didn't seem to care and kept on fighting each other when the opportunity arrives.

"Though I do wonder who started it this time." she wondered aloud, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"That would be Mukuro-sama."

Two pairs of eyes turned to the door where the source of the voice came from. Chrome stood by the door, a book held carefully by both arms, as she let out a sigh at hearing another explosion. "You wouldn't mind if I stay here would you?" she asked meekly as she headed towards one of the armchairs near I-pin.

Both teens shook their heads. "Not at all, Chrome-san." I-pin answered with a small smile while Lambo just laid back down on the sofa. Chrome smiled back as she sat on the chair and placed the book she held on her lap. Apparently, she was reading in her room somewhere near the east wing when the fight between Vongola's two most violent Guardians broke out and she had no other choice than to leave unless she wanted to be involved, which, in her honest opinion, she would rather not.

"Would you like some tea?" I-pin offered, to which Chrome nodded and the Chinese girl poured her a cup. "How was your mission?" the young girl inquired "It went fine. It was just an undercover mission. There was no need to fight at all." Chrome answered as she took a sip from the tea I-pin offered.

A short moment of silence passed by as Chrome and I-pin sipped on their tea before Lambo broke the silence. "So why did Mukuro start another fight with Hibari?" Lambo propped his head up with his arm as asked from his place in the couch.

Chrome took another sip from her tea before sighing "Apparently, Hibari-san was assigning him to do a mission. However, Mukuro-sama refused to listen and said that he didn't need to follow orders from someone who couldn't beat him." She explained, a small frown marring her features.

She often wondered what the Storm Guardian was thinking when he appointed Hibari to take his post while they went to retrieve their boss. The illusionist was already hard to deal with since he hardly listened to anyone ever since their boss went missing and now that Gokudera left Hibari in charge...

Chrome sighed again. If Ryouhei was here, the fight between those two probably wouldn't escalate as much what was happening now. Chrome blinked. No, if the Sun Guardian was here the fight would probably be louder and more destructive, although it would end quicker since Hibari and Mukuro seemed to have no tolerance of the Sun Guardian's antics and would leave instead of fight.

Another moment of silence passed them by before I-pin decided to break it. "I wonder how long it will be before Gokudera-san and the others come back together with Tsuna-san." She spoke quietly. Lambo turned one green eye to her. "That depends on the plan." He answered.

"Yes, but..." Confused black eyes met his green one."Why can't we just bring Tsuna-san back here and help him recover his memories instead of staying in Namimori for an indefinite amount of time?" she asked.

"That is because the Arcobaleno is suspecting something."

Lambo shriek at the baritone voice that suddenly appeared behind him as both I-pin and Chrome turned to look at indigo haired man.

Mukuro smirk at the Lighting Guardian's reaction before turning his eyes on the Chinese girl on the armchair. "Reborn-san suspects something?" she asked, repeating the illusionist's words.

"Kufufu... the Arcobaleno thinks that there's something behind Tsunayoshi's sudden disappearance and appearance and that staying in Namimori might give them a clue." He explained as he sauntered over to where Chrome was.

"Mukuro-sama." Chrome greeted, to which Mukuro smiled in return as he opened his mouth to speak.

However, any more words that the illusionist could say was cut off as the other three occupants of the room froze and turned to look at the door where a murderous Skylark stood, tonfas at hand.

"Herbivore." The prefect's voice was dripping with venom as he glared at the illusionist standing on the other side of the room. Mukuro chuckled, trident held in one hand. "Kufufu... it seems I've been found."

"For running away from our fight and crowding with other herbivores, I will bite you to death." Hibari's grip on his tonfas tightened and Mukuro switched to an offensive stance. "Oh? You've been saying that for the past ten years and yet here I am, alive and kicking." He chuckled and that was all it took for the two to resume their fight, the intensity of their flames causing another explosion in the room.

The other three occupants had luckily escaped before the explosion and were now standing outside after they had jumped from the balcony that was conveniently left open.

"Aiya, even the lounge room's been destroyed." I-pin sighed exasperatedly, unconsciously reverting to speaking in both Chinese and Japanese simultaneously, Lambo was rubbing the sore spot on his back where he landed on and Chrome just sighed.

There goes one of the lounge rooms. She continued to watch the two Guardians fight and the slightly worried expression on her face suddenly turned to a frown as she remembered that she had left the book she wanted to read in the room and was, most likely, already destroyed.

Another sigh escaped her lips as she, together with the two teens, move to a different location.

Hopefully, Gokudera and the other's wouldn't take a long time before they returned their boss because if they do, she was honestly wondering if the mansion would still be intact by the time they returned.

* * *

_The sound of tearing was heard as his hand made contact with soft flesh. Warm blood flowed from the body and out onto his hand and arm, further tainting his clothes with the red liquid as the metallic scent hung in the air. _

_Releasing the body of the man, the sickening feeling of torn flesh grazed his hand and the body fell on the floor with a loud thud, joining his comrades that shared the same fate._

_He stood, unmoving, amidst the pile of corpses that was known as the Gentium famiglia._

_Footsteps could be heard in the distance and soon, the sound of the door banging against the wall was heard along with gasps of surprises. _

"_Jyuudaime..."_

_The voice came out weakly, as if the one who spoke was out of breath. Deciding to spare a glance, he slightly turned to look behind him and saw a variety of expressions from the people standing behind him._

_Shock._

_Disbelief._

_Indifference._

_Sadness._

_He was slightly taken by surprise at the fact that he didn't see any repulsion, any rejection, from any of them. However, his surprise was quickly replaced by the thought that they had known something like this would happen. That something like this would eventually come. _

_The only thing they probably never expected was that he was the first one to go through with it._

_He turned away and glanced back at the corpses that lay at his feet. He had always said to himself that he would never kill. Years ago he would never have expected that something like this would happen..._

_He closed his eyes._

_No._

_That wasn't it._

_He had known._

_The moment he had accepted his place as Vongola Decimo he had known that there was no way he could avoid something like this from happening. Thinking so would be naive. And as much as he didn't want to fight, he had no other choice. _

_In a world where blood and murder rule above all, it was either you kill or be killed._

_It was the only way he would be able to protect those he held dear._

_He couldn't accept it. _

_He didn't want to._

_And now, he had paid the price._

_The young don clenched his fists, his blood boiling as he remembered what this familgia had done to him, to _her.

_She had done nothing wrong. _

_Nothing! _

_And yet, they had attacked her, killed her-_

"_Tsuna."_

_The cheerless voice of his Rain Guardian snapped him out of his thoughts and he slowly opened his eyes. Turning around, he eyed his Guardians that stood by the door, staring, waiting for him to break the silence that fell before them._

_Calming himself, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Where's Lambo?" his voice came out quiet and calm, but he knew that was because he was trying his best to hide the emotions he was feeling inside._

"_Outside. We asked Chrome to stay with him." Came the equally quiet answer from his Sun Guardian, which was surprising given the teen's audacity even during emergencies and really important meetings._

_Knowing that the nine year old was safe and away from the carnage that he had created, his shoulders sagged a little, relief overcoming him._

_Pausing for a moment to think, he then turned to his Cloud. "Hibari-san, can you please make a call to Nono and tell him about the situation?" he asked. Hibari glowered "I will not be ordered by you herbivo-"_

"_Please."_

_The dark haired teen grew silent but he didn't know if it was because he had begged the teen or because his voice had cracked as he spoke._

_He soon heard the sound footsteps leaving the room and of a phone opening and realized that his Cloud had done what he asked._

_Silence hung in the air as Tsuna and the rest of his Guardians stood in place. The scent of blood that permeated the air made it difficult for him to breathe. _

_He stared down at his hands covered in blood and it was only then that he became painfully aware of the red, slick substance that covered him, making his clothes stick to his skin and the very thought of if made him sick in the stomach._

_Unable to take the sight of blood anymore, he too decided to leave the room. Both Gokudera and Yamamoto remained silent and could only move out of the way as he passed, however Mukuro stood his ground, a knowing look on his face._

"_The mafia truly is detestable, isn't it?"_

_There were no traces of sarcasm in the words, or of the hatred he knew the man held for their world; just the truth coming from the illusionist. And as he stepped out of the room, he couldn't help but think that somewhere deep in his heart, he was starting to believe it too._

* * *

The cold liquid slowly flowed out of the cup and onto his hand as Tsuna blinked and looked down to see the water overflowing out of the glass and onto his hand.

"HIIIEEEE!"

Ignoring the stares he got from his sudden outburst, he hurriedly placed the pitcher down and grabbed a washcloth before he hastily wiped the mess he made on the small table behind the counter. One of the waiters nearby walked up to him and asked if he was okay, to which, he nodded before uttering a small apology, still busy wiping the water away.

Noticing the small commotion, the manager walked towards them. "Did something happen?" he asked and both waiters turned to him. "Are you okay, Tsunayoshi-kun?" he turned to the smaller brunette who was still a bit flushed at his carelessness. "Yes, manager." He answered, holding the washcloth between his hands

"He was staring off into space again." The other waiter added and Tsuna grew a darker shade of red as he bowed to the manager. "I-I'm sorry! I'll t-try not to let it happen again." He said, apologizing profusely.

Seeing that the young man was obviously sorry for what he's done, the manager sighed. "It's alright Tsunayoshi-kun, just clean up the mess." He said turned to the other waiter. "Now, go back to work Miyagi-kun." He said and the other waiter did just that.

Tsuna sighed as he wiped the last traces of water off the table. "Tsunayoshi-kun." He turned to the manager who still had that kind smile despite the stern voice. "I'm really sorry." he bowed again.

The manager just sighed and lightly patted him on the shoulder. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again." He said before telling him to go back to work after he was done there and left to check on the baristas.

After wiping the table clean, the brunette began to head towards the sink to wring the cloth free of the water before he returned to the tables to take some orders.

Dark eyes followed the brunette as Reborn watched the whole scene play out. It's been four days since he first came to the cafe. Although there hasn't been much of an improvement in their investigation, he has noticed that Tsuna had the tendency to stare off into space, as if he was in a daze. And judging from the way the manager acted, it seemed to happen quite often too.

When he mentioned it to the other two yesterday and Gokudera had reacted and mentioned that something similar happened to the brunette at the bookstore. Although he didn't notice it at first since Tsuna was checking the record book at the time and the only thing that gave it away was that he had been staring at the same page for nearly five minutes.

Turning a page from the newspaper he was holding, Reborn wondered whether it had something to do with the fact that Tsuna lost his memories and if he was thinking or remembering something whenever he was in a daze.

"Good morning, Reborn."

The voice of his student broke his train of thought as he looked up at the brunette looking at him.

"I suppose you want to have the cafe specialty again?" he inquired. Placing the newspaper down, Reborn crossed his arms and leaned back, eyes still on the waiter. "And what's today's specialty?" he asked.

"Cortado.*" Tsuna answered and a couple of seconds passed before Reborn answered. "I'll have a Ristretto." He said. Tsuna blinked at the order and Reborn tilted his head, a glare directed at the brunette. "What?" the question made the young waiter flinch, bringing up the small notepad he held towards his face, as if he hiding behind it. "A-Ah, nothing. It's just that you usually order the cafe specialty." Tsuna replied.

Reborn stared a second longer before directing his gaze somewhere else. "Cortado is too creamy for me. So I'll have a Ristretto." He told the brunette.

"Oh, I see." Lowering the notepad, Tsuna began to write the order, silently wondering if Reborn didn't like sweet or creamy beverages. "One Ristretto then." he looked up from his notepad. "Anything else?" he asked even though he knew the dark haired man ordered nothing else but the dark liquid.

"No." Came the curt reply before Tsuna told him that his order would be served in a moment and left for the counter

Reborn's gaze followed the brunette before directing his gaze at the other areas of the cafe. After their first meeting four days ago, Tsuna had continued to be the one who greeted and take his order; not that the others were complaining, they were probably scared of him anyway, and he was slightly surprised to find that it was the brunette that actually started to talk to him.

After their not-so-pleasant first meeting, Reborn thought that the brunette would be wary of him and stay away from him. Luckily for him, and for Tsuna too because who knew what the hitman planned to do to approach him, the young waiter started to talk to him and even asked for his name after introducing himself. And although the brunette didn't talk about himself or mention anything about his life, it was at least a start.

Moreover...

Reborn glanced around the cafe.

...the cafe Tsuna worked at actually served good food and their espressos are, he would never admit it, heavenly. Plus, the classy, rustic look of the cafe was similar to those in Italy and gave off a relaxing ambiance. Lowering his fedora to hide his smirk, Reborn would have to admit, his student chose a good place to work at.

"Here you go."

Reborn watched the brunette place the cup of Ristretto on the table as he folded the newspaper and placed it on the other side of the table. "I heard that girly shriek of yours earlier at the counter." He started and caught the almost unnoticeable flinch from the brunette. Since Tsuna didn't seem to be keen on talking, he might as well start making him do so.

"A-Ah, yeah, that." Tsuna stuttered as he scratched his cheek, feeling embarrassed. He didn't know why he felt embarrassed every time the fedora wearing man pointed it out. He also didn't know why the man suddenly just started pointing it out and made him more conscious of it. He didn't like it, but he didn't hate it either.

Still feeling Reborn's eyes on him, he somehow felt compelled to tell him what happened. "I spilled some water on the table earlier." He sighed, holding the now empty tray against him with one arm.

"You're quite clumsy." Came the blunt comment from Reborn. "Maybe I should call you dame-Tsuna." He said before blowing on the hot beverage and sipping it.

"Wha- You can't just call me that!" Tsuna silently exclaimed so that the people around them wouldn't hear them. "And I am not clumsy." He added as he frowned (pouted) to emphasise his point.

"But you are clumsy, dame-Tsuna." Reborn continued to remark "So from now on you're dame-Tsuna." He concluded and he couldn't help but smirk as the brunette turned beet red. "I-It's not my fault I'm clumsy!" Tsuna averted his gaze "I just can't help it sometimes." He added, although it was said more quietly.

Reborn inwardly smirked. He finally got his dame-student where he wanted and just like a predator hunting its prey, Reborn grabbed the opportunity. "Oh? How so?" he asked, glacing at the young man who still had his eyes directed somewhere else.

Tsuna fidgeted, wondering if he should tell Reborn. They were practically strangers with each other. And knowing how the man liked to tease him; if pointing out every shriek he'd done wasn't enough of a proof, he'd probably make fun of him too, just like some of the other employees he'd told. But...

He casted a glance on Reborn who was quietly sipping his espresso.

For some reason he felt like he could tell the dark haired man, just like that time he felt compelled to talk to the man the second day he came into the cafe. It was like something inside him was telling him that it would be okay and the man won't make fun of him or tease him about it.

And usually that something inside him was always right. After all, he had gone this far with just following it.

Making up his mind, he turned to Reborn who sent him another glance in response "Well, you see..." he started, hands fidgeting a bit. "I have this tendency to space out for a short period of time." he said, words coming out slowly.

Reborn turned to him, obviously caught in what he said. "Space out?" he repeated, the slight tone of curiosity evident in his voice. Tsuna gave a small nod. "Uh, yeah. I space out at times and I'm not exactly aware that I'm doing it." He explained, lowering his eyes to the floor. "That's why I sometimes mess up in work."

"Not aware?" came the curious question from the man and Tsuna nodded again, averting his gaze somewhere else. "I don't remember doing it. Nor do I remember why I do it or what I'm thinking about when it happens. I only know because people say I do it." He explained further.

Reborn went silent, taking in the information that the brunette just told him. "Reborn?" he looked up at Tsuna. "What?" "You're not gonna make fun of me are you?" the brunette asked, looking somewhat anxious as his gaze became fixed on one of the many decorations of the cafe. Reborn took a sip of his espresso. "And why would I do that?"

"Eh?" was the only reply he got from Tsuna and he turned to him. "Why would I do that?" he repeated. The waiter flinched and fidgeted in his place as he explained. "U-Um, w-well... I t-though y-you might laugh at m-me and say t-that I'm just making e-excuses." He stuttered, hands still fidgeting with the small notepad.

"Don't just assume what I will and will not do; only idiots do that, dame-Tsuna." He said and sipped his espresso.

Tsuna stared and the response he got, then blinked. "Reborn! I said not to call me that!" Tsuna said exasperatedly before an apologetic look crossed his face. "I didn't mean to assume, I'm sorry." He said meekly, feeling a little bad. He shouldn't have asked Reborn that, it was actually quite rude. But then most of the people he told of his problem just laughed or got annoyed saying he was only making excuses for his mess. So he was a bit surprised when all he got was silence from the dark haired man.

"Have you ever tried to get that checked on?"

"Eh?" he looked back at Reborn. "What?" "Have you ever tried to get that checked on." Reborn repeated.

Tsuna blinked owlishly at him and Reborn sighed inwardly. "You said you weren't conscious of what you're doing right? Haven't you tried getting a check up for that?" he inquired, watching how the brunette would react to his question.

A look of surprise flashed on chocolate orbs followed by apprehension before it returned to normal. "No, I haven't." He answered, his shoulders slightly sagging. "I can't." He added in a more quiet tone, making it seem as if the decision was already made before the brunette could even consider it.

Reborn raised an eyebrow at this, but before he could even comment on what the brunette said, he was cut off by a small 'Hiiee!' from the young waiter as he saw the clock. "Oh no! It's already 12:30! How could I forget the time!" he exclaimed, making some of the customers near them look at him as he panicked. "A-Ah, sorry Reborn! I have to go now if I don't want to be late for my other job." He said to the hitman as he quickly scurried off to the counter; the manager casting him a glance, and returned the tray before heading for the staff room where the back door was.

Seeing that he was now alone, Reborn leaned back and took another sip from his espresso. Dame-Tsuna was able to escape before he could ask more but it was okay. The fact that the brunette had told him about his problem meant that he was slowly gaining the other's trust again.

Moreover, what Tsuna had said to him was enough for him to think about in the mean time. However, there seemed to be something behind the resigned reaction that came from the brunette when Reborn mentioned getting his problem checked out by a doctor. The emotion he saw at the other's eyes when he told him; and the reaction he got from the brunette was enough of a proof that Tsuna seemed to know something about his situation after all.

Reborn smirked. No matter, with the way things are going, it won't be long before Tsuna tells him about it. If not, he'll just have to push his student back in the right direction and make him spill the truth.

* * *

Author's Notes:

*Cortado - a Spanish beverage where there is a 1:1 ratio of espresso and warm milk.

Okay, I'm starting to get used to writing Reborn and Tsuna. I hope the way they're written isn't too OOC.

By the way, just a random question, it's been bugging me for a while now. Who's taller, TYL Yamamoto of Adult Reborn? I keep thinking it's Yamamoto, but then I don't exactly know how tall Reborn is in adult form so... yeah.

And if you see any mistakes, any at all, please tell me. I'll go back and correct it.

As always, reviews are much appreciated and the more reviews, the faster I update! So click that big blue button below and review people!


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes:

You guys have no idea how ecstatic I was when I saw how many hit's this story received and I really wanted to update again but I wasn't really feeling that well that's why I'm able to update only now.

Anyway I really want to thank you guys for the hits, the reviews, the alerts and favorites! Thanks Guys!

To the **Anon** who reviewed, thank you so much! That was probably the longest review I've received so far and it really made me happy :)

To **Taira-keimei**, you're welcome and gasp! I just found out that you're the author of Unrelenting Fate! I actually love that story! Like seriously, I love darkTsuna fics and your fic really got me hooked! I hope you update soon! :)

To **Ayz283**, glad to know you like it. Here's the new chapter for you :)

To **Khrfan12**, I also hope Reborn doesn't use his spartan ways, it's hard to write XD

To **snitchygirl**, thanks! I'm really trying to keep them all in character and keep the flow as close to the way it does in the manga. I'm glad to know that it is :)

* * *

Chapter 7

"You seem to be really happy, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsuna looked back from the barista he just gave an order slip to, to the manager. "Eh? I-I do?" he asked, stuttering, a blush forming on his cheeks. He had just returned from serving another cup of espresso to Reborn who was now considered a regular customer of the cafe.

The manager's smile grew at the response. "Yes, in fact, you've looked quite happy for the past few days now." He said. Tsuna grinned, the blush on his face growing. "Oh, uh, I guess I am." He answered back sheepishly as one of the waiters – Miyagi – passed by, a tray in hand. "Probably because he made friends with Mister Grumpy over there." he commented as he tilted his head towards the fedora wearing man on the corner of the cafe.

"Wha- That's not his name Miyagi-san! It's Reborn!"Tsuna exclaimed, turning even redder as the other waiter just grinned back, on his way to the tables to serve some drinks. "And we're not friends... I think." He added, looking a bit unsure.

The manager glanced at the fedora wearing man before returning his attention to Tsuna. "You seem quite happy whenever you go over there to talk to him though." He told the brunette, remembering the first day the man came, talking only to Tsuna after glaring at all the other waiters who came to take his order. "And he seems quite friendly with you." He added.

Tsuna blinked at the statement before smiling wryly in response, "I guess." He said. If teasing and making fun of his shriek and poking fun at his mistakes was being friendly, then Reborn definitely fit the description.

"Here's the order for table two." One of the baristas chirped and Tsuna gratefully took the cups of Café au Lait and slices of strawberry short cake into his tray. The manager just smiled at him as he left the counter and sauntered over to table two, casting a glance at Reborn who was currently sipping his Corretto* while reading a newspaper.

Well, he had to admit, he was starting to enjoy the small bits of conversations he was having whenever he was taking the dark haired man's order. Even though the man had decided to entertain himself by teasing him whenever he shrieked; he actually realized that he felt at ease with the man's presence.

Plus, he didn't get laughed at or sneered at when he told him the reason for most of his clumsiness; Reborn didn't mention it either whenever he teased him. And he felt relieved at that.

Though he did wonder why Reborn just whacked him with the newspaper earlier without any warning saying something about being dame again. Which at the time, he definitely was not.

Tsuna blinked as he served the drinks and cake. Maybe he really was feeling happy. Reborn's presence definitely made his mornings seem livelier and he found himself looking forward to meeting the man more often than not, if only to guess which kind of espresso he'd choose next.

Glancing at the clock, he realized it was forty-five minutes before twelve o' clock. Noticing that a couple from another table had left, he walked over and started to clean the table.

A thoughtful look crept on his face as he placed the cups and plates onto the tray. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't just because of Reborn that he was looking forward to going to his work. There was also Gokudera, the silver haired Italian Japanese who seemed to always follow him wherever he went.

He didn't exactly know why Gokudera kept on sticking to him even when he already knew what to do around the bookstore, but he found the other's presence to be quite comfortable, aside from some embarrassing bowing moments, but comfortable nonetheless.

A sheepish smile made its way to his face as he remembered how the silver haired man explained to him the theories regarding UMA and aliens. The way the man went into serious mode and explained to him in words he hadn't even known existed about different species and theories about UMA's and what not. He shuddered. He was never going to ask Gokudera about UMA's and aliens ever again.

He entered the kitchen, avoiding kitchen staff that were busy cooking and preparing sandwiches and pasta, and proceeded to place the dishes onto the pile beside the sink and received a thanks from one of the dish washers.

"Sawada."

Tsuna turned to see one of the senior members of the kitchen staff who was currently tossing some pasta in the pan. "What is it Yamada-san?" Yamada wiped the sweat off his face with a towel. "You see, there's been a lot of orders today and the trash bins are quite full." He explained and Tsuna nodded. "Can you help take out the trash? As you can see, the kitchen's quite busy..." he looked apologetically at the brunette as he continued to add spices and sauce into the pan.

Seeing that the kitchen was indeed busy, and he was the only other staff in the kitchen that wasn't doing anything at the moment, Tsuna nodded. "Okay." He smiled as he saw the relieved look on the older man's face and proceeded to take out the large, black garbage bags out into the dumpster outside.

As he placed the first bag into the dumpster, he jerked as he heard a loud crash that sounded like something hitting metal hard. Looking around, he saw nothing but the empty alley and another open dumpster from the neighbouring restaurant a few meters away.

Seeing that there was nothing, he shrugged and went back in to retrieve the second bag, slightly wondering what time it was and if he'd meet Yamamoto on the way to his second work.

Ever since he met the man days ago, he had continuously seen him around the town, delivering sushi, and they would always end up talking to each other. Although unlike Reborn or Gokudera, there wasn't any specific time that he'd see the taller man.

Sometimes he see him when he was off to work, sometimes when he was heading back home and there were even times when they'd meet while he was on his way to the bookstore. And whenever they'd meet, Yamamoto would always talk to him about almost anything and laugh like he hasn't a care in the world.

Tsuna found it somewhat refreshing; although he can't help but feel a little envious. For as long as he remembered, he has never laughed like that. Not that he could remember much anyway.

He paused as he swung the door open and blinked in surprise as he saw Yamamoto staring back at him, a similarly, surprised look on his face before it broke into a grin.

"Yo! Tsuna! Haha! So this is where you work." The tall man greeted as Tsuna pulled the garbage bag with him and closed the door. "Yeah, hi... um." Tsuna looked at Yamamoto curiously. "What are you doing here exactly? Not that I mind or anything." He asked and Yamamoto paused for a second.

He laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Haha! I'm just delivering sushi!" he answered. "I decided to take a different route since it's faster this way." He added, pointing towards the other end of the alley, making Tsuna turn towards it.

"I see." Tsuna turned back to him. "Well, I guess you should get going. You shouldn't keep your customers waiting." He said as he quickly placed the garbage bag inside the dumpster and closed it.

"Haha! Yeah, I should. See ya around Tsuna!" Yamamoto waved as he started walking away. Tsuna waved back, before returning inside the kitchen a smile on his face.

"Well, that was unexpected." He muttered as he glanced again at the clock, seeing that he only had five minutes left and decided to let the manager know his shift was ending.

On the way, he slightly wondered if Gokudera was already there at the bookstore waiting for him to eat lunch with, or if he'd meet Yamamoto again on the way to his second work or on the way back to his apartment.

After meeting the three men, his days didn't seem so lonely anymore; and he had to admit, it was kind of fun having to look forward to meeting them. He didn't really know that many people because he was too busy with his two jobs to have time to talk to people and what little time he had left was spent resting. So meeting the three men definitely made his days livelier.

His thoughts then drift back to the comment the manager made earlier and a smile made its way to his lips.

Maybe, just maybe, he was happy after all.

* * *

Yamamoto made sure that the door was completely closed before he stopped walking. "That was close." He sighed as he brought out his Shigure Kintoki from its hiding place.

"Damn right that was close! Jyuudaime almost saw you!" Gokudera exclaimed through the earpiece he wore in his ear. Yamamoto scratched the back of his head. "Haha! Sorry about that." He said; a sheepish grin on his face.

"Sorry doesn't cut it you stupid baseball-nut! What if Jyuudaime saw you! Your cover would've been blown!" Gokudera yelled from his place at the top of a water tank, sniper at hand, his hair tied in a high ponytail. He could've easily blown those guys away but Reborn had precisely said that they were to act as inconspicuous as possible, which was why he ended up using the sniper.

"You were also at fault, Gokudera. You were lucky the dumpster was left open." Reborn's voice came through and Gokudera inwardly cringed.

True, there was another assassin on the roof and he was definitely going to shoot the man down, but then he got startled when the door opened and he saw Tsuna taking out the trash and he ended up shooting the man a second too late. What's worse was that the man was already leaning down, getting ready to attack Tsuna when he got shot and instead of falling backwards, he fell forward.

He was actually silently hoping that the hitman hadn't seen that. But knowing Reborn, he would always find a way to know everything that happened, even if he was inside the cafe.

"Sorry Reborn-san. I won't let it happen again!" he said as his eyes trailed to Yamamoto who was still in the alley, looking over the guy he threw off before he took a look at his watch. "Oi, baseball-nut, I'm leaving the clean up to you. Jyuudaime's about to leave the cafe and I have to make sure the area around the bookstore's clean." He said as he began to dismantle the sniper.

"Haha! Okay!" came the serious yet cheerful reply from Yamamoto.

Reborn still sat in his chair, newspaper open in front of him and listened to the two as his eyes turned back to the counter where Tsuna emerged again, talking to the manager before returning to the back room.

"You better hurry up Yamamoto, Tsuna's about to come out of the back door again." He told the Rain Guardian who gave a quick 'Okay' and he started to hear shuffling noises in the background.

He took his last sip from his cup and stayed still for another minute before gesture to one of the waiters for the bill. He didn't usually leave this early, but knowing that there might be more enemies after Tsuna, he might as well follow the brunette.

It's only been a week and a half and already, Iemitsu's warning about being attacked by assassins and enemy famiglia was already happening and each attack was becoming more frequent and bolder. If he hadn't had Leon transform as a newspaper and promptly whacked Tsuna in the face, the brunette would've probably gotten shot in the head.

One of the waiters arrived, the one he saw Tsuna talking with the most – Miyagi – aside from the manager, and gave him the bill. After leaving a couple of bills, Reborn made his way to the door, folded newspaper in hand and the moment the door closed behind him, the newspaper glowed and Leon returned to its original form perched on the side of Reborn's fedora.

Reborn continued to walk leisurely, as if he wasn't in a hurry to watch over his student who just left a couple of minutes ago.

His earpiece crackled to life.

"Um, Reborn."

"What is it Yamamoto?"

"One of the guys I attacked is still alive. Should I kill him?"

Reborn paused for a second before a smirk formed on his face. "No, bring him back to the base. We can put him under interrogation." He said; his sadistic streak surfacing.

It was expected that assassins would eventually come and attack them once word got out that Tsuna was found. However, the rate of which the attempts were happening was quite fast. Even for famiglia's with large information networks, with the Vongola's ability, the news shouldn't travel this fast.

It should take at least another week or two at most before anyone could find out about the young don and it definitely baffled Shoiuchi and the others back in Italy at how the other famiglia's had gotten the information so fast since they were covering up any information about Tsuna.

"Okay! I'll bring him over to the base then." came the enthusiastic reply from Yamamoto before the line was cut and Reborn's smirk grew. He was going to find out the reason why and how Tsuna's whereabouts is quickly spreading. And once he does, he'll put a stop to it.

Reborn continued to walk in the direction of the bookstore. Since Yamamoto was going to bring the assassin back to base, he might as well take over walking the streets for a while and make sure Dame-Tsuna gets there safe.

* * *

Author's Notes:

There you go! Chapter 7. I really had fun writing this chapter, especially Gokudera holding a sniper~ (the image is still stuck in my head XD)

Anyway, I hope you guys like it too and if there are any mistakes, please tell me and I will correct it.

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated :)


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Notes:

As always, thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites you've given this fic! I always end up smiling when I open my mail to find it full of notifications. Thank you again! :)

To **Taira-keimei**, your welcome! :) I'm glad that you'll keep working on Unrelenting Fate! I really like that story and I'll look forward to the next update! :)

To **khizna14**, yeah, it's a good thing Reborn and the others are there to protect him. :)

* * *

Chapter 8

Tsuna walked through the shopping district of Namimori, several plastic bags on both of his hands as he strolled over a takoyaki stand and ordered.

Somewhere in the area, three pairs of eyes watched the brunette go about the shopping district.

"Um, Reborn. Are you sure it's okay for us not to be with Tsuna right now?" Yamamoto asked, hiding himself in one of the neglected alleys a few blocks away. Looking slightly worried as his eyes followed the brunette.

"Yeah, Reborn-san. Are you sure it's okay to let Jyuudaime walk around the town like this?" Gokudera added; binoculars in one hand and his sniper in another. He was currently sitting atop one of the higher buildings in the area a few blocks away from Yamamoto. He hated to admit it, but he agreed with the baseball-nut on this one.

Reborn, like Gokudera, was currently occupying the rooftop of one of the buildings closest to where the brunette was and had a clear view of Tsuna's face. "If you two ask me that question again, I will shoot you." He told them off, getting slightly annoyed.

He had been getting the same questions from the other two after every five minutes and it was starting to get on his nerves. They agreed on following his plan and that meant that they had to listen to him and stop questioning his methods.

"But Reborn-san-"

A click of the gun was heard through the earpiece and whatever protest the other two might have died away and Reborn sighed inwardly, relieved that the two finally decided to shut up. Even though they knew that the hitman would never actually hurt them (not fatally anyway), it didn't mean that Reborn won't shoot them.

"I already explained why we can't be around him. If we keep on following Dame-Tsuna, even on days where he's not supposed to meet or even see us, he might start to take notice that we're actually following him." He explained again. "Even you Yamamoto." He added knowing that the swordsman would say something about his disguise.

It had been three days ago since the slight accident Yamamoto had on the back alley of the cafe and it had been two days since they had interrogated the assassin Yamamoto caught. However, they weren't able to get much information from the man since he didn't belong to any famiglia.

He was, however, a member of a small group of assassins that killed to collect bounty on targets. And being the don of the strongest mafia famiglia, Tsuna definitely had a hefty amount on his head for bounty hunters.

They had asked the man where he got the information on and it appears that a certain informant had been rousing the whole mafia networking systems about the missing Vongola don staying in Namimori. When asked who the informant was, the man admitted that he didn't know.

The informant used a pseudonym, just like those who used the internet, and that they usually contacted each other online. When they asked Gianini and Shouichi to trace back the informant, there was nothing left. The site was gone, leaving no traces of ever being created as well as the persona the informant used. They had interrogated other assassins after that but they got the same answer.

Reborn lowered his fedora, shadowing over his eyes. He had to admit, whoever was behind the information leak was pretty talented, being able to escape even Vongola's tight watch over the networking systems and still continuously spreading the information and still keep his identity a secret.

It had only been two days since they found out about this, and already, the number of attempts on the brunette's life had drastically increased. Disposing of them really wasn't the problem, but it was starting to hamper their progress on the investigation on Tsuna.

Cutting his train of thought, Reborn returned to watching the brunette. It was a Sunday, the only day where Tsuna didn't have work and spent most of his day grocery shopping and doing other things he didn't have time to do during his work days.

Normally, a day like this wasn't supposed to have all three of them on high guard; however, because of a certain informant that caused the sudden increase of attempts on the young don's life, they had no other choice but to keep close watch. The three of them had been following the brunette ever since he had left his apartment and so far, there had been a total of thirteen attempts to attack Tsuna.

Reborn watched the brunette walk over and glance at the window of an antique shop a couple of buildings close to the one he was currently occupying. His eyes narrowed as he noticed how Tsuna tensed up for a second, surprise flashing in his eyes before quickly returning to normal.

He thought for a moment at what could make the brunette react like that since there was nothing remotely eye-catching in the street at the moment. However, the moment Tsuna started to walk again, Reborn noticed the slight change of expression on his face. He's face still retained the neutrality it had earlier, but Reborn could see the apprehension in the brunette's eyes and his lips were pulled into a straight line.

Now, any normal person wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the change of expression on the young man's face. However, Reborn was the one who taught Tsuna how to hide his thoughts and expressions whilst still maintaining a straight, smiling face; and the one Rebron was currently seeing on the brunette's face was definitely the same face he'd seen him pull out during negotiations and meetings with other famiglia's.

Moreover, there was the slightest bit of change in his movements; his pace had quickened just a bit, his shoulders more squared than earlier and he kept sending inconspicuous glances around every now and then.

Reborn wondered at what could have caused the sudden change in behaviour in his student. "You two," he called out "report." He ordered.

"There's nothing on my side Reborn." Yamamoto answered.

"Same here. No assassins in sight." Gokudera seconded.

"Scan the area again, use your Sistema C.A.I Gokudera." He told the silver haired man, to which the other complied.

Reborn mulled over his observations as he carefully scanned the area. If there was no other source of threat to the brunette's life, then the only other reason that would have him on guard like that would be because he could sense them.

It was possible with Tsuna's Hyper Intuition, but even that was unlikely since they all had hidden their presence and both Gokudera and Yamamoto are almost a kilometre away from the brunette. And even thought he was the closest of the three to the brunette he was sure he had hidden his presence well that Tsuna won't be able to know where he was.

"Reborn-san !" Gokudera's frantic voice suddenly came through the earpiece. "Three targets appeared by the vegetable stall, two near the corner street and another three in the alley Jyuudaime just passed by disguised as civilians!" he alerted "They're all heading for Jyuudaime!" Reborn and Yamamoto's eyes widened.

Shuffling could be heard through the earpiece before Yamamoto's voice came through. "This isn't good. I'm going over to where Tsuna is, Reborn." He said, the cheerfulness in his voice gone, and continued to shuffle about.

"No, go handle the ones nearest to you, Gokudera, back Yamamoto up and keep a track on Tsuna." He told them as he moved from one roof to another, his eyes trained on Tsuna and the three following him.

"Roger!" Gokudera and Yamamoto's voices called back as they did what they're told. Reborn leapt from one rooftop to another, eyes on the three men following the brunette as Leon transformed into gun mode. He could faintly hear Yamamoto fighting and Gokudera telling him where the next enemy was located in the background.

Tsuna seemed to not have noticed the men following him and was still walking casually on the street. Reborn cursed and pointed Leon to one of the men who was quickly closing on Tsuna. He was just about to pull the trigger when all of a sudden, Tsuna looked over his shoulder, causing his pursuers and Reborn to quickly hide or pretend to be a typical bystander.

Landing on the concrete quietly, Reborn observed what was happening, still ready to pull the trigger at anytime. The three men had separated at the brunette's actions, one hiding at the large shop sign, another pretending to be buying some ice cream and the other had pretended to be reading the menu from the restaurant nearby.

Tsuna turned and looked down at a small box that had apparently fallen off one of the grocery bags. Bending down to pick it up, Reborn noticed the serious, almost calculative expression on the brunette's eyes as he casually picked the box and randomly looked up at his pursuers' direction before returning the box in the bag and continuing on his way.

Curious at his student's actions, Reborn continued to watch as the three men slowly continued to approach the brunette who suddenly turned, entering an even busier street. Interest gleamed in the hitman's eyes as he leapt onto another building to get closer to his student. It seemed Tsuna had noticed he was being followed and was planning to do something about it.

The farther Tsuna walked into the street, the denser the people became and the harder it was to move. The three men were starting to lag behind as the brunette continued on, his pace quickening ever so slightly. Tsuna walked over to one of the largest and busiest grocery stores in Namimori where a sale was currently on going and people were crowding over the food products and items displayed on the tables outside.

Crossing over, Tsuna almost disappeared through the jam-packed crowd, his brown hair disappearing every now and then. The assassins quickly tried to follow, trying not to lose their target, and was starting to push through the throng of people who were complaining and yelling at the sudden treatment.

Finally crossing over the crowd, the men quickly looked around and froze. Tsuna was nowhere in sight. Looking around once more, one of the men quickly barked at the other two to search for the brunette and quickly separated, one of them returning to the crowd while the other two ran around the streets.

A smirk crept on Reborn's face as he watched what happened. "Gokudera, did you do as I told and followed Tsuna?" he asked.

The bomber quickly replied. "Yeah, I did." Came the calm reply. It seemed the silver haired man was also watching and saw what the brunette did. "He's already walking on the small alley behind the grocery store, heading towards his apartment." He reported.

"Yeah, he just passed by the alley where I am." Yamamoto confirmed; his grin evident in his voice.

The hitman's smirk grew. "It seems Tsuna was already aware that he was being followed and had planed an escape." He said.

Gokudera sighed in relief and Yamamoto laughed. "Haha! Really?" What did he do?" Yamamoto asked and Gokudera shouted. "You stupid baseball-nut! Didn't you see what happened? Jyuudaime completely fooled those guys and escaped!" he said exasperatedly. Yamamoto just laughed again. "Really? Haha! That's great! Tsuna got away safely." The man cheerily said.

"Of course Jyuudaime would be able to escape! Jyuudaime is more than capable of doing such an easy feat!" Gokudera barked out. "Haha! So how did he do it again? I didn't see what happened." Came the somewhat sheepish question from Yamamoto and Gokudera grumbled in annoyance.

Reborn tuned out the two as he turned back to his thoughts about what just happened. It seemed that Tsuna had been aware of the fact that he was being followed, though that was most likely because of his Hyper Intuition, and he had used the simplest and oldest trick in the book and lost his pursuers in the crowd.

The fact that the brunette had performed the act almost without anyone suspecting, aside from him, of course, was a bit surprising and Reborn had to wonder if the brunette's actions were done on purpose or was unconsciously brought out because of the constant threats he'd had throughout the years.

However, there was something that bothered Reborn about the whole situation.

It was true that his Hyper Intuition may have helped him know that he was being followed and what he should do, but the apprehension he saw in Tsuna's eyes gave him the impression that it wasn't the first time the brunette had encountered something like this.

Although it was also possible that Tsuna had been aware of the other times he was being followed around by assassins even though Reborn and the others made sure that none of them got this close to him.

But it was still too early to make any presumptions about Tsuna. There still weren't enough evidence to make any concrete conclusions and with every bit of information they gather, more blanks and questions were the only ones they got in return.

The only thing they could do is to continue investigating and make sure that Tsuna was safe.

"That's enough you two." Reborn said through the earpiece, silencing the two Guardians bickering on the other side." Go and make sure Tsuna reaches his apartment safe.

"Haha! Roger!"

"Jyuudaime won't have a single scratch on him when he arrives home."

The two Guardians replied enthusiastically as Reborn heard them shuffle through the streets, following Tsuna. Remembering the three men that were chasing the brunette, Reborn returned his gaze to the nearby alley they had gone to after returning empty-handed. Transforming Leon back into gun mode, Reborn made his way to the alley, his thoughts still focused on his student.

* * *

The jingle of keys and click of the lock was heard before the door was swung open as Tsuna entered his small apartment. Slamming the door close in quick haste, he leaned on the door, lightly panting from the brisk walk he had taken on the way home.

"That was close..." he muttered as he slowly slid down to the floor, letting the bags of groceries surround him as he thought about what happened in town a few minutes earlier.

He had just finished buying groceries and was thinking of buying a few things for the kitchen when he suddenly sensed that someone was watching him. At first he thought he was being paranoid, but after a few minutes he realized that not only was he being watched, he was also being followed.

Letting out a shaky sigh, Tsuna ran a hand through the wild brown locks. This was probably the... fifth time he was aware that someone was following him, and honestly, he was starting to get scared.

He didn't exactly know when it started, he just suddenly sensed it while he was on his way home from work the other day; and although he had shrugged it off at first, thinking he was tired or was probably just being paranoid. But then it happened again, and then next day after that as well.

And what happened this afternoon just brought the creepy stalker feeling a notch higher. What's more, he couldn't help but feel the intimidating and threatening aura coming from whomever it was that followed him and it completely took his all to not just run away and head home.

If there was one thing he'd learned from watching the news reports about situations like this, it was that you should try to lose the person following you lest you let if follow you home.

Luckily, he remembered that the grocery store he went to had doors on both the front and right sides and used the large crowd that came because of the weekly sale to lose the men. Hopefully, what he did was enough to lose whoever was following him. If they ever do continue to stalk him around, he'd know now since he had somehow got a glance at his pursuers when his pocky fell out of the bag.

Tsuna slumped against the door, still in thought, the quiet ticking of the clock heard through the silence. Deciding that he had rested enough and that anymore sitting would make his legs cramp, he stood up, removed his shoes and headed on to the kitchen.

Placing the groceries on the table, he glanced at the window adjacent to the table and stared for a few seconds before reaching out and slowly pulled the curtains close. He sighed. It was probably the adrenaline still running through his system or he might just be really paranoid, but he can't help but feel a bit scared knowing that someone was following him around for who knows how long.

"Maybe I should move...?" he muttered to himself as he went through the groceries. "No, that would most likely cost more..." he reasoned, not minding the fact that he was talking to himself.

As much as he was disturbed by whoever it was that was stalking him, he couldn't afford to move to another place. He was already lucky enough to have a twelve tatami mat apartment with a room and kitchen for such a low price.

Besides, he had just finally gotten settled in his apartment and neighbourhood and it seemed such a shame to leave when he was finally starting to get along with the landlord. Also, looking for another apartment close to his workplace meant that he'd have to walk around the town more and with being followed around these past few days, it really didn't seem like the smart thing to do.

"I should stay here." He mumbled quietly and sighed before he started to fold the plastic bags. After finishing with that, he spared a glance at the clock and decided it was already late enough to start preparing for dinner. He started to take out the ingredients from the fridge and place them on the countertop, making sure he had everything out before getting started on washing the rice.

He stared intently at the rice, his mind still stuck on the day's event. He wondered why those people were following him. As far as he could remember, he hadn't crossed anyone to make some scary men follow him around, nor was he aware of anyone showing any sort of special attention to the point that he'd be followed all around the town.

His lips curled into a small frown. Then again, he really had nothing to prove anything. He didn't even know who he was. He just knew that he had to do something so that he wouldn't end up wandering around the streets. He was lucky enough to find this apartment and found two jobs with managers that were kind enough to employ him. The kindness he had received from the people he worked with and the peaceful life he had here was enough for him to make it through each day and the fear and anxiety he had first felt slowly dissipated.

But with the recent happenings, the fear and anxiety was slowly starting to surface again and he was starting to become paranoid. He might just be overreacting, but there was something inside him that kept telling him that the watching and stalking might just get worse and he couldn't help but feel dread rise up inside him.

"I hope tomorrow comes faster." He said to himself as he shook his head to clear if off of his thoughts "At least I don't feel so paranoid when I'm at work." He mumbled, turning the rice cooker on and moving on to unwrap the plastic from the vegetables.

He wouldn't admit it, but he actually felt it more safe and comfortable when he was outside and working than staying at home at the moment. He felt reassured that no one would be watching him when he was at work and it allowed him to relax and do his job properly.

Moreover, he was sure to meet Reborn and Gokudera when he was at work, and he bumped into Yamamoto every now and then. He didn't know why, but whenever he would think of them, his mood always seems to lighten up and he'd feel much better, even when he thought of Reborn's teasing remarks.

A small smile made its way to his lips as his thoughts drifted to the three men he had met weeks ago. "I really hope tomorrow comes faster." He said again as he continued to cook his dinner.

* * *

Author's Notes:

No, I'm still not over the Gokudera+sniper thing XD and I don't really know if his Sistema C.A.I. could actually pin point targets, from what i read in the manga, they only help him in locking in his targets, not locating them, but hey, this is fanfiction and I did say this was very slightly AU so I can change things according to my plot XD

Also, I'm not really sure if the ending was okay. I struggled a lot on how to end it since I wanted to add a few more parts but it just won't sit well, so I ended it there. I also had a hard time writing this chapter on the whole. I especially had a hard time writing the whole assassins part(I actually had to rewrite that around 4 times just to get it right XD). I hope it looks okay. It was really a challenge but it came out fine to me.

Hopefully the next update would come out in a couple of days. This really took all my time and the only reason I was able to update fast was because I had been writing this in advance and this chapter took time to , I'm just rambling on now XD I hope you guys like this chapter.

Review! If you do, I might finish the next chapter by the end of the day and update tomorrow! So if you want that, go and click the big blue button below!


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Notes:

I was supposed to post this yesterday but I was really busy so I am only able to post this today.

Thanks again for all the reviews, alerts and favorites! (it sounds repetitive, I know, but I really mean it) :))

To **long live marshmallows**, thank you! And don't worry, I'm not pressured into writing and I'm glad you like the way I write Reborn and the others.

To **aLittleBlue**, yes he is. Don't worry, everything will be revealed... in due time :))

To** Taira-keimei**, your welcome! :)

To **Ayz283**, glad you liked it! :)

* * *

Chapter 9

Chrome stood facing the view of the Vongola estate, the large double doors of the mansion behind her. Lambo was also there, standing beside her as they both waited for the guest that had already entered the Vongola estate. They had been informed by Gianini that an urgent call had been made by one of their allies and that their boss is already on the way and requested a meeting with the Guardians.

After being informed, Ryouhei had told Chrome to go meet their guest at the front door while he would get Hibari and Mukuro to the meeting room along with Iemitsu and Lambo, who was told to accompany Chrome, happily tagged along relieved that he didn't have to face the other two guardians.

"It's been five minutes." Lambo droned lazily before yawning. Chrome look at him with a small smile, knowing that the teen was already bored waiting. "Gianini said they entered the gates a few minutes ago. They should be here any minute now." As soon as she had said those words, a black Mercedez came into view and they watched as it slowed down to a stop at the base of the wide staircase that led to where they stood.

One of the servants standing at the side of the staircase strode over to the car and opened the door where a tall blonde man in a suit came out and offered a hand to the person still inside the car.

"Thank you, Gamma." A smaller hand reached out for the offered hand as a young woman, around the same age as Chrome, stepped out of the car. Her black and white dress covered up by the white cloak she wore around her shoulders and a large, white hat sat atop of her head. The gentle smile she gave the blonde grew as her gaze fell to the two Guardians standing by the door.

"It has been a while, Uni-san, Gamma-san." Chrome greeted with a smile and Lambo gave a small wave as both Uni and Gama walked up to them. Uni walked on ahead of Gamma as she hugged the two. "Yes, it's been a while." She said, laughing lightly and Gamma smiled as well, nodding to the two in greeting and after exchanging a few more greetings, they all headed inside.

"I heard that you've found Tsuna-kun." Uni started and Chrome and Lambo nodded. Among all the allied famiglias of the Vongola, only three famiglia's were told about Tsuna's appearance; the Cavallione, the Shimon and the Giglio Nero, and from the three, only the bosses and their most trusted were informed.

"Reborn, Gokudera and Yamamoto left to meet him." Chrome explained and Uni smiled again "Then that means that Tsuna-kun would be coming back soon right?" she asked cheerfully but her smile faltered as she saw the two Guardian's expression. "Is... something wrong? Did something happen to Tsuna?" she asked; worry starting to seep into her eyes.

Chrome shook her head. "No. It's just... um..." she faltered, wondering if it was okay to tell them about their boss' situation. "Gokudera-nii and the others went to bring Vongola back, but it might take a while." Lambo answered "We can tell you more about it, but not right now. Sorry." Lambo added, glancing apologetically at Uni who shook her head and smiled. "No, it's okay. I understand." She said and they continued to walk towards the meeting room.

"By the way, Uni-san." Uni turned to Chrome who was looking at her meekly. "We were surprised when you requested a meeting with us. Did something happen?" she asked, worry showing in her purple eye.

Uni's smile diminished and a serious look fell on Gamma's face. The reaction made the two Guardians blink curiously at the two. "The princess had a vision." Gamma spoke, making both Chrome and Lambo turn to Uni who nodded.

After the representative battle for the Arcobaleno, Uni's ability to see the future had grown weaker after their curse was finally broken and she hardly had anymore visions unless and the ones she'd have would usually have something of grave importance.

"A-A vision?" Lambo stuttered "Of what?" he asked, suddenly getting nervous. Chrome looked at Uni who had a solemn look on her face.

Understanding flowed through Chrome as she saw the grim expression on Uni's eyes. The only other time she had seen that expression on the young woman's face was during the time they fought Byakuran in the future.

"Let us head on to the meeting room then."

Chrome said, thinking that what Uni had seen must be of great importance and she gestured for them to keep walking.

* * *

Tsuna sighed tiredly as he opened his locker and placed his bag inside before she started to change into his uniform. He hadn't been able to get much sleep last night because his mind kept going back to what happened that afternoon and no matter what he did, he couldn't help but feel bothered by it.

"Are you okay, Tsuna-san?" he to his right where Gokudera was, a couple of lockers away, looking at him a bit worriedly. "I'm fine, Gokudera-kun. Just a bit sleepy." He reassured. He didn't exactly know when he started calling the man in a much less formal way but he didn't bother changing it when he saw how Gokudera would perk up at hearing it.

"Are you sure Tsuna-san? You look really tired." Gokudera commented as he finished changing into his uniform. "Maybe you should take the rest of the day off. After all, you have two jobs, it must be tiring." He suggested, turning to him.

Tsuna shrugged it off and smiled. "I'm fine, really. I just wasn't able to get much sleep last night." He told the other before continuing on changing into his uniform. A thought struck him and he spared a glance at the silver haired man, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Hey, Gokudera-kun?"

"Yes Tsuna-san?"

"Um..." he paused for a moment "Have you ever been... stalked... before?" he asked rather meekly, wondering if the question wasn't too prying.

Gokudera blinked at the question, obviously caught by surprise. "Stalked? He asked back and Tsuna slowly nodded. "Yeah... um, I was just wondering if you've experienced something like that before." He said.

Gokudera stared at him, probably wondering where this was coming from before deciding to answer. "Not really, no." He answered "Why the sudden question, Tsuna-san?" he asked before his eyes suddenly widened. "Are you being stalked Tsuna-san? If so, you should have told me! Since when? Where? I could help you!" the silver haired man exploded catching Tsuna and the other employees in the locker room by surprise.

"A-Ah! G-Gokudera-kun! Calm down!" Tsuna exclaimed back, flailing his arms at the sudden reaction from the other. He had intended to just ask the other for advice and try to keep the matter quiet but now that Gokudera had reacted so loudly, he wasn't so sure about the quiet part.

Realizing his outburst, Gokudera quickly stopped and bowed deeply in front of him. "I'm so sorry Tsuna-san! I didn't mean to suddenly shout like that! Please forgive me! I won't do it again!" he continued to bow and Tsuna wondered how Gokudera could handle bowing so fast. Won't he get dizzy?

Raising his hands in a calming matter, Tsuna tried to placate the silver haired man. "G-Gokudera-kun! I-It's fine! Really! I don't mind! P-Please stop bowing..." he nearly begged as his face turned red. The other employees had gotten used to Gokudera's antics and would usually just ignore them, but some of the employees would turn to them every now and then. No matter how much they got used to it, it was still amusing to see the commotion whenever it happened.

A few seconds later, Gokudera finally stopped and Tsuna let out a sigh of relief. "So, is it true, Tsuna-san, are you being stalked?" he looked at Gokudera who had a serious expression on his face and he gave a nod. Gokudera ran a hand through his hair. "Since when?" he asked again. Tsuna blinked, surprised at the sudden seriousness the other had taken, and thought about the question. "Uh, around... five days ago, I think." He answered "I'm not really sure though." He added, he really wasn't sure for who long but he'd started to notice around that time.

A scowl had made its way on Gokudera's face as he listened to what Tsuna said and continued to ask him another question. "How do you know you're being stalked then? Did you see the person following you?" Tsuna scratched his cheek as he heard the question. "Well, no. Not really but..." he was thinking of how to explain his situation to the silver haired man when his eyes drifted towards the big clock hanging on the wall and his eyes bulged. "Hiiee! G-Gokudera-kun! We're late!" he exclaimed and finally noticed that they were the only ones left in the locker room.

Gokudera scoffed. "That doesn't matter right now Tsuna-san! What's more important is finding out about that stalker!" he answered back but Tsuna had closed his locker, turned him around and started pushing him towards the room that led to the bookstore.

"B-But we're already ten minutes late! The manager will get angry if he sees us still here!" he reasoned as he continued to push the other forward. "I- We'll talk about it later, during break." He added when he saw Gokudera look back, ready to retort. "Let's just go to work now, please?" he asked the other man.

Gokudera huffed, scowl still on his face before gesturing for the brunette to stop. "Alright Tsuna-san, we'll talk about it during break." He gave in and Tsuna sighed in relief and started to walk beside the silver haired man as they made their way to the store front.

In his hurry to go, he didn't realize the concerned stare Gokudera gave him.

* * *

The meeting room was quiet and the atmosphere was tense between the occupants. Iemitsu sat in the middle of the long table, the Guardians sitting around him. "Are you sure about this, Uni?" he asked. Uni sat on the other side of the table with Gamma sitting to her right. She nodded "It was a bit unclear at first, but the more I saw of it, the more I became sure of what I saw." She said quietly and Iemitsu sighed.

She had arrived at the meeting room thirty minutes ago and found that Iemitsu and all the other Guardians were already there and after changing greetings, she had started to tell them of the vision that she had. As she did so, both Ryouhei and Lambo had reacted right away while Chrome let out a soft gasp. She was a bit surprised though, at the sudden silence that came from the last two Guardians, Hibari and Mukuro.

"Did you see what could have caused it to happen? Or who?" Chrome asked quietly, breaking the short moment of silence that fell on them. Uni could tell that the young woman was deeply troubled by this, then again, who wouldn't when the future of the strongest mafia famiglia was at risk?

"I'm sorry, I didn't. I even tried to see it again to make sure that I didn't miss anything, but that was all I saw. I'm sorry." She said, looking apologetic at them. Iemitsu shook his head. "Don't be. It's already enough that you've come out of your way to tell us what you saw." He gave her a small smile, although she could see that it was strained. "Thank you Uni."

Her eyes widened for a second at the man's words before letting her gaze fall on her hands placed in her lap. The sound of a chair being pushed back was heard and all eyes turned to the Cloud Guardian who had stood up and made his way to the door. "Hibari! Where are you extremely going?" Ryouhei called, making the dark haired man stop and look back. "I've already heard what that herbivore had to say. There is no more any reason for me to crowd with the rest of you." He said before continuing his way out the door.

"Kufufu... I hate to admit it, but I have to agree with the skylark." Mukuro started "Now that I've heard what the Sky Arcobaleno had to say, I shall now take my leave. I have other duties to do." He said, ignoring Gamma's reaction as mist slowly covered him and disappeared.

"Oh boy, there they go again, doing as they please." Lambo commented, glancing at the seat where Mukuro sat, traces of mist still lingering in the air. Chrome turned to Uni, looking apologetic. "Um, I'm sorry about what Mukuro-sama said, Uni-san." She said, referring to being called Sky Arcobaleno instead of her name.

Uni shook her head. "It's fine, Chrome." She reassured the female Guardian and Gamma with a smile before her gaze fell back to Iemtisu. "I assure you, as the boss of the Giglio Nero famiglia, we will try to help you as much as we can." She said. Iemitsu smiled at her, grateful. "Thank you, Uni. The Vongola gladly accepts your offer." She smiled in return and they continued to talk with each other, this time, regarding other less important and less grave matters.

Uni tried to keep her smile in place, but it fell moments later. Her heart felt heavy knowing that she couldn't be able to help them anymore than she could. She could see the future, but she couldn't do anything to change it. The only thing she could do was tell them of what was to come; tell them to prepare and fight so that their future wouldn't be destroyed.

A warm hand held her tightly clenched ones and Uni turned to her side to see Gamma, a reassuring smile on his face and she smiled back, but it was weak and quickly fell again.

For the first time in her life, she wished that the vision she saw wouldn't come true.

* * *

Tsuna opened the water bottle he brought along with him and drank as Gokudera sat beside him letting the information sink in. They were sitting in the pile of large boxes placed at the back of the store room where they usually take their break and he had told Gokudera his problem as well as what happened yesterday.

"So," Gokudera started. "someone has been watching you and following you around town for a few days now but you haven't seen this person and that this person hasn't tried to make contact with you despite acting like a stalker." He said and Tsuna nodded. "Actually, I'm not really sure if it's the same person. I think they're different people." He said and Gokudera looked at him, urging him to continue. "I-I don't know how to explain it. But for some reason whenever I felt someone watching or following me, the feeling I get from that person is different from the one that followed me before." He explained and glanced at Gokudera, thinking that that didn't make much sense.

"What made you think that, Tsuna-san?" Gokudera asked back, his expression still the same. Tsuna blinked, a bit surprised before he answered. "Um, well..." he started, brows furrowing as he thought how to explain. "...Intuition, I guess?" he half stated half asked. "I don't really know. I just get this feeling that more than one person has been following me around." He said as he looked at his hands. "It's starting to scare me, actually." He admitted. "I even started to consider moving, but then thought against it since I might not find a cheaper apartment than what I already have." He said, looking a bit sheepish as he said the last part. "What do you think I should do?" he turned to Gokudera.

Gokudera ran a hand through his hair "Honestly Tsuna-san, I don't know." He said and Tsuna's shoulders sagged a little. He was hoping Gokudera could help him. "I don't even think you're being stalked Tsuna-san, usually a stalker would try to make contact with the person they're stalking but from what you said it looks more like you're being chased or targeted, if what happened yesterday was any indication." He added, looking worriedly at him. "Are you sure you're not being targeted or something?"

Tsuna blinked at the question. Well, he had thought of that and that was his initial problem. He just said he was being stalked to lessen the effect. But he didn't have any idea. "Maybe." He answered because he really didn't know and he wasn't going to cross out that presumption.

This time it was Gokudera's turn to blink in surprise at the blunt answer. "So you think you're being targeted?" his question was confirmed by a shrug. "Why?" he asked again.

Tsuna looked down at his hands again, deciding if he should tell the other his thoughts. Gokudera was a good friend and was obviously concerned about him. He also trusted him and that was enough for Tsuna to tell him more about himself. "Honestly, I don't know. I don't have any idea why people would suddenly want to chase after me. I don't..." he paused. "I don't even know who I am." He said.

A pregnant pause fell over them before Gokudera broke it. "T-Tsuna-san..." Gokudera stared at him and Tsuna noted he must've been really surprised to stutter like that. He shrugged. "It's true; I don't know who I am, or how my life was. I don't have any memories. All I know is my name." He said and watched as Gokudera's eyes bulged, mouth opening and closing like a fish, he actually found it a bit funny. "Is it that surprising?" he asked, smiling wryly.

The question seemed to snap Gokudera out of his stupor and he immediately fussed over. "I-I'm so sorry Tsuna-san! I didn't mean to disrespect you by reacting like that! Please forgive me!" he bowed a few times but before Tsuna could even try to calm the silver haired man down, he suddenly stopped and faced Tsuna, a serious look on his face. "Thank you for telling me, Tsuna-san. If there's anything I can do to help you remember your memories, please let me know." He said, concern lacing the serious tone.

"Gokudera-kun..." Tsuna stared at the silver haired man. It was actually the first time he'd told someone about this and he was a bit nervous of how the other would react but now that he'd seen it, he felt relieved. "Thank you." He smiled and Gokudera grinned back before returning to his serious mode.

"Anyway, about what you said earlier, Tsuna-san." Gokudera started and Tsuna blinked. "O-Oh, r-right, um... actually if what you said is right and I am being chased, then that must mean that they're after me because I've done something before I forgot who I am." He said; a thoughtful look in his eyes as he thought silently.

Gokudera kept his attention on him. "Tsuna-san." He called and Tsuna looked at him. "Yeah?" "Have you tried to ask for help? I mean with the memory loss thing; like go to a doctor or something." Gokudera pointed out. Tsuna stopped at the question. "No, not really." He answered a little too quickly. Gokudera raised a brow. "Why not?" He asked again.

Tsuna shrugged. "It didn't cross my mind. Plus I shouldn't-" he stopped mid sentence and Gokudera raised a brow. "You shouldn't what, Tsuna-san?" he asked, eyes narrowing almost unnoticeably at Tsuna's words.

"Ah, it's nothing, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna replied as he averted his eyes to a random direction. "Anyway, getting help really about my condition wasn't really the first thing that crossed my mind." He answered before a frown crossed his features. "The first thing that I thought of was how I was going to survive. I didn't know who I was; I had no money, no home. I didn't know anyone who could help me, so I decided that before I could try to find out about myself, I should first find a way to live." He explained, leaning on the wall as he did so.

"So I thought I'd find a place to stay, then a job. Luckily the manager at the cafe I work at was really kind and gave me a job. Then I also got accepted here so, here I am." He finished feeling slightly embarrassed that he practically told his whole life; well, what he could remember of it, to Gokudera and opting to find a distraction, he quickly pulled out his phone and checked the time.

After letting out a small 'Hiiee!', he abruptly stood up and turned to the other. "Crap, we stayed for too long. We're late again!" he quickly stood up and motioned for Gokudera to follow him. "Come on Gokudera-kun! Break time ended fifteen minutes ago! The manager might think we're slacking off!" he exclaimed quietly, hoping that no one heard him and hurriedly walked to the door that lead to the front store, avoiding the other employees along the way.

Gokudera followed behind, his pace slow as he let the brunette's words run through his mind. Apparently, Reborn's guess was right. Tsuna had been able to sense that he was being followed around by assassins and it was mostly thanks to his Hyper Intuition that he became aware of it. He was a bit annoyed at having to pretend like he didn't know anything though.

But it was worth it, he mused. Not only had Tsuna talked to him about the assassins, he had also told him about his memory loss. Although he had forgotten to ask the brunette for how long can he remember and where he was before coming to Namimori but no matter, he could go ask again.

Also, the fact that Tsuna told him all of those meant that the brunette had finally trusted him again. A warm feeling spread through Gokudera and he let a small smile fall on his lips as he watched Tsuna walk around the bookstore.

He suddenly jolted when he felt something vibrate in his pocket and brought a hand to bring the phone out, cursing lightly as he did so. Checking the caller ID, he looked around to see if the manager was around, emergency or not, phones were not allowed during their shifts. Hiding in one of the aisles while still keeping an eye on Tsuna, Gokudera answered the call.

"What took you so long?" the voice demanded and Gokudera scoffed. "I had to hide. Phones aren't allowed during shifts. This time it was the voice on the other line who scoffed. "You better by watching dame-Tsuna from where you are or I will shoot you." It threatened and a click of the gun was heard from the background.

"Ch, of course I'm watching Jyuudaime! I never let him out of my sight!" Gokduera answered back, making sure no one heard him. "Anyway, why did you suddenly call? I thought we were meeting after Jyuudaime leaves work." He asked, his features turning serious. "Did something happen Reborn-san?"

"There was a sudden meeting back at the mansion." Reborn answered without missing a beat. "Uni had a vision." He explained. Gokudera's eyes widened. "Reborn-san what did she see?" he asked, trying to mask the surprise and sudden dread he was feeling.

"Come back to the base right after your finished there. We have to talk with the others. Yamamoto will make sure Tsuna gets home safe." Reborn ordered and Gokduera could sense a small tinge of urgency in the man's voice.

"Alright." He answered and the call was ended. Gokudera returned his phone into his pocket; a frown marred his features as he thought. He wondered if the vision Uni had seen was about to get the hitman to react like that. Uni had rarely been able to see vision nowadays but when she did, it usually held something of great importance and the fact that a meeting was suddenly held...

Gokudera left the aisle and headed towards Tsuna who was arranging the books on the other side of the bookstore. Whatever thinking he wanted to do had to be put off for later, for now, protecting the Jyuudaime was first priority and he will not fail.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I actually finished this chapter a few hours after I posted chapter 8 but I didn't post it the next day since I was busy and was too distracted plotting for the next chapter.

Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter! Tsuna finally said something about his memory loss! And Uni had a vision! You guys are probably wondering what it is huh? Well, you'd have to wait until the next chapter to find out.

In the meantime, please review and tell me what you think of the story so far and also, if there are any grammatical mistakes, please tell me. I'd gladly appreciate it :))

Click that blue button!


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Notes:

This chapter is freakishly long. Enough said.

To **MissDinosaur**, thanks! And the only reason why I could update so fast is because I really don't have anything else to do at home since I just graduated and still haven't found a job. So I spend my time writing XD

To **Mou**, thank you! I'm a big fan of KHR too! And here you go, the new chapter :))

To **snitchygirl**, your welcome! and, yeah, I can't wait til Tsuna gets his memories back too!

To **long live marshmallows**, thank you! Yeah, I was thinking along the lines of what I'd probably do if i had amnesia and that was what came out and used it for Tsuna XD

* * *

Chapter 10

Gokudera sat in one of the lush seats, arm propped over one of the arm rests and head resting in his palm as he stared out into the window, listening to the quiet hum of the engine as Vongola's private jet soared over the sky. A frown marred his features as a storm brewed inside his head thinking over yesterday's events.

After finishing his shift at the bookstore and seeing Tsuna off, he had quickly headed to the base just as Reborn instructed. Reborn was already sitting on one of the chairs in the meeting room when he arrived and the large monitor on the wall revealed the head of CEDEF and the Guardians minus the Cloud and Mist.

When he got the call from Reborn informing him about Uni's vision, he was aware that she must've seen something bad about their future, given that Uni rarely had any visions aside from the really important ones. But when he saw the serious, almost grave expression, on Reborn's face, he couldn't help but feel dread bubble inside him.

After a short report from the rest of the Guardians about Vongola, he had begun to ask them about the meeting with Uni and the dread he felt earlier grew when everyone grew silent. Ryouhei had become quiet all of a sudden and Lambo looked nervous. Chrome had looked both troubled and worried while Iemitsu looked grim. It was only Reborn who had remained the same and it was him who told Gokudera what Uni saw.

His frown turned to a scowl as Gokudera remembered the words Reborn said. He finally understood why everyone had looked so bleak. After all, who wouldn't after finding out that Uni saw a future where Vongola was destroyed and levelled to the ground? What's worse was that she couldn't see who was behind it or when it would actually happen.

It also didn't help that after hearing all that, he was informed that the quarterly meeting with the dons of Vongola's allied familgia's was moved earlier; in four hours, to be exact, and Gokudera had to go back to Italy to attend it seeing as he was still technically the one in charge of Vongola.

Then of course, there was the fact that Tsuna had practically talked to him about being targeted by assassins and opening up about his loss of memories.

He had told Reborn about it after meeting with the other Guardians. Reborn looked even more serious as he listened but quickly dismissed him after hearing his report, telling him to prepare for the trip back to Italy and left, most likely to sort out the information they've gathered so far while Yamamoto, despite still having a smile on his face, looked serious and asked a few questions when he told him about Tsuna.

A small screen popped out of the ceiling, breaking Gokudera's train of thought, and blinked to life, revealing the senior pilot. "Gokudera-sama, we have arrived in Italy. We will be at the airport in approximately fifteen minutes." The pilot informed him.

Straightening in his seat, Gokudera gave a small nod. "Alright, thank you Giovanni." He said and the pilot gave a curt bow before the screen turned black and returned to the ceiling.

Letting out a tired sigh, he ran a hand through his hair as his eyes trailed back to the window where he was greeted by the view of Italy below. He slightly wondered what Jyuudaime was doing right now.

He had called the brunette to inform him that he wouldn't be able to go to the bookstore for a few days with the excuse of handling 'family' affairs and the brunette had asked if he would come back. Gokudera thought that maybe Tsuna probably thought that he was going back to Italy for good and leave him there but he assured the brunette that he would be back.

But he couldn't help but worry because since he was going to be away, it only left Reborn and the baseball idiot to protect their boss. Not that he was questioning Reborn's abilities. No, not at all. And Yamamoto was good at what he does so he didn't really worry the bomber as well.

What worried him was the fact that the number of assassins that were going after Tsuna seemed to keep increasing with each day and they had no clue as to who was giving the information leak. And despite Yamamoto's reassurance that he and Reborn would keep Tsuna safe and that everything would be fine, he still can't help but feel a little panicky about it.

He ran a hand through his hair again.

"That baseball idiot better be doing what he said he would or else I'll blow up that fucking smile off his face."

* * *

Tsuna glanced at the sky as he walked away from his apartment with a frown. It was only six in the morning and the sun hadn't risen yet, but instead of the usual light indigo blue that coloured the sky, it was covered by dark, grey clouds making the morning darker than usual.

Well, the weather forecast did say that it was going to rain today and informed the people to bring an umbrella and raincoat if ever they were going out. Though he didn't exactly have a rain coat, but he did wear his hoodie and brought an umbrella.

He returned his attention back on the road, the frown he had on his face remained. He had a feeling that something was going to happen today; something bad and he didn't know why he felt that way. Was it because of yesterday? He chewed on his lower lip and his grip on his bag strap unconsciously tightened as he got lost in thought.

He had felt the familiar 'stalking' again yesterday on his way home and it felt scarier than before. As if the people watching him were so close. Luckily, he bumped into Yamamoto on the way and the 'stalkers' disappeared but the fear he felt remained.

What's more, Gokudera, the only one he'd told of his problem and the only one he could ask for advice, was away and wasn't going to be back until a few days later. He had gotten a call last night from the Japanese Italian who informed him that he wouldn't be able to go to work because he had to go back to Italy saying something about family matters that needed to be handled.

He felt a little sad when he heard that. He understood that family always comes first, but he was afraid that Gokudera might not comeback so he asked if the silver haired man was going to come back and was secretly relieved that Gokudera would come back in a few days. He didn't want to lose what few friends he had so he was glad to hear that Gokudera was coming back.

Something wet landed on his face, making him blink in surprise and breaking his train of thought. He looked up to find that it was starting to rain. Quickly talking out his umbrella, he opened it and continued on his way to the cafe.

Now that he thought about it, despite being friends with Gokudera, he hardly knew anything about the man. He knew about some interests and what not that would trigger a reaction from the man but he knew nothing about his background or about Gokudera himself. All he knew was that he was from Italy and that he moved here saying it was because of family matters. He didn't even know why he moved to Namimori of all places since it looked like Gokudera could've worked at a much better place in Tokyo or in another country like USA.

A thoughtful look replaced his frown as he wondered if he should ask Gokudera about his life but then he lightly shook his head, thinking that it would be too personal. He didn't want to pry too much. After all, Gokudera never asked him such questions; he should just wait and let the man talk about himself when he wanted to.

Getting that thought done and over with, he turned at a corner and suddenly yelped in surprise as he stepped on a small puddle and his foot slipped, making him lose his balance. Just as he was expecting to fall over on his butt he felt a strong hand hold him from behind, keeping him in place.

"You should be more careful, Tsuna!"

Tsuna looked up at the voice and turned to see Yamamoto smiling at him, the bag of deliveries slung over his shoulder and umbrella in his other hand. Tsuna quickly turned around, once he had his balance and bowed lightly to the tall man. "A-Ah, t-thank you, Yamamoto!" he quickly said and Yamamoto laughed. "Haha! It's nothing! I'm glad I made it in time though." He said and Tsuna tilted his head in question. "Eh?"

Yamamoto scratched the back of his head. "I was on the other side of the road when I saw you turn the corner. I thought you saw the puddle in front of you but you looked really serious and stepped on it then you slipped!" he explained. "Luckily I made it in time to catch you!" he laughed and Tsuna stared at the taller man, wondering how the other could have run so fast to catch him if he was on the other side of the road.

Then again, it was still early and there were still hardly any cars on the road and Yamamoto really looked like the athletic type so he could probably run really fast and made it to where he was without slipping on the wet side walk even though it took only a second for him to slip and-

"Tsuna? You okay there?"

Tsuna blinked, stopping his mind from making sense of what Yamamoto just said and looked up to the tall man. "Ah, yeah, I'm fine Yamamoto." He said before his eyes turned to the large bag of deliveries with a small smile. "So, I guess there are people who really like sushi, if they order it so early in the morning." He lightly commented and Yamamoto laughed. "Haha! Yeah, I guess they do." the tall man said as they both continued to walk along the side walk.

They continued to talk as they walked, Yamamoto telling him of stories about baseball while Tsuna listened with a small smile on his face, content with hearing the cheerful man talk and laugh as they walked along the wet streets. Sometimes he would ask or comment about something or another and the other would cheerfully reply.

But just as they were a few blocks away from the cafe, he suddenly went tense and stopped.

"Tsuna?"

Tsuna turned to Yamamoto, realizing that he had unconsciously turned back to the direction they came from. "Ah, it's nothing, Yamamoto." He said "I just thought I heard something." He told him. Yamamoto looked at him, his expression turned serious despite the smile that remained on his face. "You sure?" he asked as he spared a quick glance to the direction Tsuna looked at and Tsuna nodded, wondering why the tall man suddenly seemed so serious. "Yeah, it' was probably my imagination." He said. "Let's go." He added and the two of them continued on their way.

"Okay!" Tsuna inwardly cringed as he heard the man reply so cheerfully. He didn't really want to lie when he had felt that familiar 'stalking' again a few seconds ago, but he didn't want to involve Yamamoto in whatever it was that he was being followed around for. Although it seemed Yamamoto had noticed; if the sudden serious expression was any proof, but did nothing and accepted Tsuna's excuse.

The rest of the walk fell into silence and Tsuna, knowing that he had caused the sudden silence decided to bring up another topic for conversation. But as he looked up to the tall man he noticed something silver hidden in the folds of Yamamoto's uniform. "Is something wrong?" Tsuna jerked, not realizing that Yamamoto had noticed him and he sheepishly smiled. "A-Ah, no... It's nothing." he kept his head straight but he couldn't stop sending glances towards the silver object that poked out of Yamamoto's uniform.

Yamamoto seemed to notice this and smiled. "Haha! Is this what you were looking for?" he said as he took out the silver object from inside his uniform and held it out for Tsuna to see. Curious, and a bit embarrassed at being caught, Tsuna stepped closer to him as he took a look. The silver object was actually a necklace with the silver chain going around Yamamoto's neck and the pendant part was divided into three parts, a dog's head at the top where the chain was linked and below it was a blue stone with a large X insignia place on top and a sword blade at the end.

Tsuna looked at the pendant curiously, admiring the lines and curves and the intricate details. He wasn't really good at looking at accessories like rings and necklaces, but even he could tell that Yamamoto's pendant was definitely top class.

"It's really pretty Yamamoto." He commented before his eyes settled on to the words inscribed on the X. "...Vongola." He read out before he blinked. "Clam?" he blurted out. He didn't exactly know what language it was, but he remembered being told that the word meant clam when he asked about one of their pasta dishes in the cafe.

Yamamoto laughed "Yup! It means clam." He answered and Tsuna tilted his head in question. "But why clam?" he asked. Yamamoto scratched the back of his head, a sheepish grin on his face. "Haha, I don't really know myself." He answered "But it's really important to me." He said before he returned it inside his uniform.

Tsuna took another glance at the necklace as Yamamoto hid it. He didn't know why, but something felt familiar when he saw the insignia with the word 'Vongola' and it bothered him that he couldn't remember. His brows furrowed a little and his lips curled to a small frown as he tried to recall. It felt like he'd seen something similar to Yamamoto's necklace but he couldn't put a finger as to when or where.

It was only when they were a block away from the cafe and Yamamoto had to turn to a different direction saying that the delivery address was that way and left that Tsuna suddenly remembered. Halting mid step, his eyes widened and he whipped back to the street where Yamamoto went to before his mind quickly recalled the first time he had seen it.

"Impossible..." he muttered, his grip on the umbrella tightened. It couldn't be. That insignia... it was the same as the one he saw that time when he... His mind quickly recalled the image and it was the same as the one on Yamamoto's necklace. Tsuna frowned as a whirlpool of thoughts formed at the implications and his hand unconsciously went over to his pocket, feeling the slight bump formed by what was inside.

He hadn't looked at it for a while, but he was sure that it had the same insignia. And if that was the case, then Yamamoto is...

A sudden gust of wind brought him back to reality as it brought along with it the rain, splashing him with the cold drops and he shook his head lightly. He had to calm down. He had no proof if his assumption was correct aside from what he saw and he wanted to talk to Yamamoto again so that he could confirm it.

He sighed as started walking towards the cafe again. There were too many things happening a once; the being chased last Sunday, opening up to Gokudera yesterday and now this. He lightly ran a hand through his wild brown hair as he could feel the beginning of a headache.

Work at the cafe would surely give him enough of a distraction from his thoughts and he'd probably have some coffee for himself to relieve the light throbbing of his head. He quickened his pace as he got closer to the cafe.

He hoped that the feeling he'd been having since he woke up was about this and not something worse.

* * *

Gokudera groaned from his place in the limo. He was currently on the way to the meeting with Ryouhei, Lambo and Chrome. Mukuro was currently away on a mission and couldn't return on time even if he hurried while Hibari was nowhere to be found.

He had arrived around three hours ago in the mansion only to be greeted by a very pissed off skylark who literally tried to bite him to death after leaving him with all the paperwork when he went to Namimori. And after very narrowly escaping Hibari, he was suddenly bombarded with complaints from their subordinates about the paperwork since Hibari had decided to stop working three days ago and that there were very urgent papers to sign and budget proposals to approve.

So without even taking a break, Gokudera headed straight for his office. But the moment he had opened the door to his office, he had promptly closed it back and cursed in every language he knew and regretted ever coming back to Italy. If he only didn't know that more destruction of property would result in more paperwork, he would've literally blown the whole west wing – no, the whole mansion - into smithereens.

Gokudera felt his temper rising again as he recalled the horrifying scene left in his office.

Three weeks.

He was away for almost three weeks.

And the paperwork had increased tenfold – no, it increased twice as much as that, he couldn't even see the bookshelves behind his desk and those were almost as high as the ceiling.

Had he been any lesser man, Gokudera would've cried.

But he was Vongola's Storm Guardian and the right hand man of Vongola Decimo and he would rather die than admit that a mountainous pile of paperwork actually managed to intimidate him for a few seconds.

Plus, he was too busy signing urgent papers and what not to even complain about it. However, just as he was done with all of those, he realized that it was almost time for the meeting the only time he had left was to change into a different set of clothes.

So here he was, occupying the whole back seat of the limo; jet-lagged, almost bitten to death, stressed with the paperwork, not to mention having a headache that was slowly turning into a migraine with no rest at all, and was literally sprawled on the seat, massaging his head.

"Gokudera-nii, are you sure you can attend the meeting? You look like shit." Lambo bluntly pointed out as he sat beside Chrome who nodded. "I'd extremely help you if I could but since you're extremely not injured in any way, I can't extremely use my flames on you!" Ryouhei said and Gokudera winced at the volume of the Sun Guardian's voice.

"Shut the fuck up lawn-head! You're making my headache worse!" he exclaimed. Ryouhei's voice wasn't really that loud, it had actually been rather tolerable nowadays, but with his headache and all, it really just added to Gokudera's foul mood.

Not really hearing the last part, Ryouhei exclaimed back. "What did you call me octopus head? I was only extremely saying that I wanted to extremely help you but my flames can't heal extreme headaches to the extreme!" he raised a fist to prove his point.

Gokudera growled "I said shut the fuck up! I already feel like shit and I don't need your annoying screaming to add to my fucking migraine!" Gokudera shouted back, propping himself up on his elbows to glare at the Sun Guardians for a few seconds before collapsing back with a groan.

"Maybe you should have taken that pain reliever that the butler was giving you earlier." Lambo commented as he watched Gokudera massage his temple again. "Or at least skipped the paperwork." He added. Gokduera snorted "You know I can't just ignore the paperwork. Plus i only did the urgent ones." Gokudera answered back. "I'll be fine. Just need to rest my eyes." Gokudera mumbled and the entire trip fell into silence.

Seriously, if it wasn't for the jet-lag, he wouldn't be in this condition. He was Jyuudaime's right hand man for crying out loud! Such a small problem such as paperwork piling up shouldn't have caused such an effect on him. Yup. It was definitely the jet-lag... and Hibari biting him to death.

Gokudera felt his eye twitch. He was still pissed about the skylark. Not only did he skip on the paperwork, he added on to it again. And Mukuro wasn't helping either. The annoying illusionist seemed to have taken advantage of the fact that he and Yamamoto weren't there and decided to 'play' with Hibari as much as he could, if what Chrome told him was accurate enough.

He swore he would shove up his dynamite up that that damned illusionist's ass when he returns from his mission. He would get his revenge.

He huffed. At least the rest of the Guardians seemed to understand the stress he was in and tried to behave like they were supposed to and actually do their job.

"We'll be in the mansion in around 20 minutes." Chrome informed and Gokudera grunted in reply before straightening in his seat, fixing his clothes and getting rid any wrinkles that might have formed during his earlier position.

As the mansion where the meeting was going to be held came into view, the rest of the Guardians quickly straightened up as well, while Gokudera took a deep breath and exhaled as he prepared himself to face the dons and their subordinates.

By the time the car stopped and the doors opened, all signs of fatigue and stress disappeared and was replaced by the cool, authoritative air as Gokduera and the others entered the mansion. They exchanged greetings with the other dons as they entered the main hall where everyone was supposed to wait until the meeting started and Gokudera slowed as he saw Uni talking to one of the dons, Gamma by her side.

Noticing the bombers eyes on her, Uni turned to him, teal eyes locking with emerald, and gave a curt nod in greeting. Gokudera nodded back and Uni smiled before returning her attention to the don she was talking to. It was brief and no words were spoken, but the moment Uni had looked at him he knew she wanted to talk; probably about her vision and about Tsuna.

"Hey there."

Gokudera and the others turned to see a tall blonde walking over to them, his trusted subordinate a step behind. "Bucking horse." Gokudera greeted and Dino chuckled. "Nice to see you too." he looked around. "Is Kyouya here?" he asked and took a step back when Gokudera gave him a death glare in returned. "Mention that bastard's name again and I will blow you to pieces, bucking horse." He hissed as a vein popped in his head.

Dino raised his hand in a calming manner, not really sure at what he did to upset the Storm Guardian. He turned to Ryouhei and the others. "Um... did something happen?" he gingerly asked. The three Guardians turned to him.

"Hibari stopped doing the paperwork Gokudera-nii left him." Lambo answered.

"The paperwork piled up." Chrome stated.

"Then he extremely tried to bite octopus head to death after he extremely returned to the mansion!" Ryouhei finished, raising a fist to prove his point.

Dino laughed dryly. "...I see." Now he can understand Gokduera's foul mood. Paperwork, when left behind, was scary. Then again, he also wondered why he left it to Hibari in the first place knowing the skylark's temperament.

Thinking of changing the topic to lighten the mood, Dino blinked as he saw a familiar red head among the small crowd. "Enma!" he called and the Shimon don quickly turned around, looking for whoever called him and smiled when he saw Dino and the Vongola Guardian's.

"Hey guys!" Enma greeted as he walked over to them. Gokduera grunted in reply, Lambo gave a lazy wave, Chrome gave a small bow and Ryouhei raised his fist with an 'Extreme!' in greeting.

"So, how are you guys doing?" Enma asked "Gokudera, you don't look so good. Are you alright?" he asked the Storm Guardian and blinked curiously when Dino suddenly popped behind him, signalling for him to drop the questions.

Gokudera merely huffed and grumbled something under his breath. And Enma smiled wryly when he heard the word 'paperwork' before his expression turned serious. "Anyway, um..." he started "I heard... that you've found..." he said, not really intending to mention who it was, knowing that anyone could be listening in on their conversation.

Dino became serious as well as both he and Enma turned to the Guardians. Gokudera nonchalantly looked around, seeing if anyone was close enough to hear them, before giving a nod. The two dons perked up at this and looked like they were going to ask for more before Gokudera held up a hand. "We'll talk about it later. After the meeting." He said as and the two dons nodded in agreement.

And as if on cue, the large double doors of the meeting room opened and the mafiosi started to shuffle in.

"You ready, Gokudera-nii?" Lambo walked beside him nonchalantly. Gokudera huffed. "Of course." He answered in a matter-of-fact way. He hoped the meeting would end early so that he could finish up all of the things he needed to do and return to Japan. He did not have a good feeling about staying in Italy for long.

* * *

Tsuna slowly wiped the table, looking a bit distracted as he stared out the window. The light drizzle had turned to a down pour and there weren't many customers aside from a few regulars and some who came to shelter from the rain and warm themselves up with some coffee.

After he was done, he walked back to the counter but not before he sent another glance at the corner table by the window where instead of the dark haired, fedora wearing man sat a couple laughing together. His lips curled into a small frown. It was almost time for his shift to end and still Reborn hadn't come into the cafe yet.

Usually he'd be there an hour after they had opened and spent the rest of the morning drinking espresso and sometimes even having a sandwich. Tsuna thought at first that he must've been late. But as the hours passed, Reborn didn't come to the cafe. Then again, he probably had his reasons, after all Reborn did mention once that he was here in Japan for work.

Tsuna felt his shoulders sag a little. He knew he shouldn't be feeling down because of it, but he had been hoping to talk to the man to at least get his mind off things. He had been feeling quite troubled lately with the whole 'stalking' problem and it was usually Reborn's teasing that made him somehow forget about it even for a short while.

His hand travelled back to his pocket, feeling the small lump inside, and his brows furrowed a little. It also didn't help that he couldn't get his mind off of Yamamoto's necklace.

He sighed as he placed the washcloth down on the small sink at the back of the counter. "You look so down Sawada." he turned at the voice to see one of the waiters handing an order out to the baristas. "Miyagi-san." Tsuna muttered in return. Miyagi turned to him, placing an arm over the counter. "Something wrong? You look a little troubled there." he asked.

Tsuna shook his head. "Not really, Miyagi-san." He smiled a little in return, not really wanting to admit that he was indeed feeling a little down at the moment and that he was actually troubled. "It's probably just the rain." He commented as he stared out the window.

The older man followed his gaze out the window. "Yeah, when it rains like this, it can get pretty depressing." He commented before noticing something and he turned back to the brunette. "And I see that your friend isn't here too, is that why you look so down?" he asked, a knowing grin on his face.

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked and the waiter chuked his thumb at the direction of the corner table by the window. "That grumpy friend of yours, Reborn, was it?" he half stated half asked as he recalled the man's name. "He didn't come today." He added and Tsuna glanced back at the table where Reborn usually sat. "He probably has work or something." He mumbled back and Miyagi shrugged.

He couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling settle in his gut whenever he was reminded that Reborn wasn't there. There was something about the man's presence that comforted him somehow, made him feel safe. But today... Actually he had been having a bad feeling ever since he stepped out of his apartment that morning and it seemed to be only getting worse as the day continued.

"Maybe." Miyagi agreed before the barista got his attention and he took the cups of coffee and placed it in his tray. "Hey, isn't your shift over already?" he asked and Tsuna blinked at the question, turning his head to the clock and guffawed. It was already five minutes after his shift. "Hiiee! I didn't realize!" Tsuna exclaimed before turning to Miyagi. "Thank you for reminding me, Miyagi-san!" the man only nodded as he sauntered over to serve the beverages and gave a small wave.

Tsuna then went to the locker room and quickly changed into his clothes. But before he headed to the back door, he peeked through the stock room where the manager was checking the supplies. "Manager, my shift is over. I'll be leaving now." He said. The manager turned and nodded. "Alright, thank you for the hard work, Tsunayoshi-kun. And be careful on the way, it's raining quite hard." He said, smiling kindly.

Tsuna smiled back. "I will. Thank you manager." He said before bidding goodbye. He grabbed his umbrella from the rack placed by the back door and opened it before stepping out into the rain.

The streets were quiet as he walked in the rain. Suddenly feeling cold, he zipped up the hoodie he was wearing and kept his bag close to him so as not to get it wet from the rain. Avoiding a few puddles here and there, Tsuna let his eyes wander around the streets. The town looked so dark and gloomy whenever it rained and judging from the dark clouds that continued to hover about in the sky, the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

The light turned red just as he reached an intersection and he stopped. The rain continued to fall and Tsuna gripped his umbrella closer to himself. he couldn't help but feel a little paranoid. There was hardly anyone outside because of the rain and the street he was currently at looked even more deserted than the others.

Opting to distract himself as he waited for the light to turn green; he let his mind wonder back to Reborn. It was the first time that the fedora wearing man didn't come to the cafe after the first day he arrived there. Although Tsuna wasn't really that surprised to see that he didn't come; there were a multitude of reasons as to why. For instance, it could be the rain. Most people would rather stay inside their homes were it was dry and warm than go outside.

Or it could also be work. Reborn really didn't talk much about it, in fact, he only mentioned it once. Though Tsuna wondered what kind of work it was since the man spent his mornings at the cafe. It was possible that his work didn't set a time schedule or shifts too. Or he could be working at night.

Tsuna blinked at the thought. Free in the mornings and working in the afternoon or night... Was Reborn a host? The image of Reborn surrounded by ladies and alcohol made him laugh a little before lightly shaking his head. It couldn't be.

Although it would fit the fact that he always wore a suit, it didn't really fit Reborn's personality. The man was witty and was good in conversation when he wanted to, but Tsuna couldn't help but think that Reborn wasn't really like that to everyone. Moreover, he didn't think someone who could give off such a scary aura like Reborn could be a host.

The light turned green and Tsuna started to walk again, but as soon as he stepped on the road he stopped and whipped his head around but no one was in had felt it again; the familiar feeling of being watched and followed. Not wanting to stay there anymore, Tsuna quickly crossed the street, walking as brisk as the slippery concrete allowed him to.

He glanced around him again but like earlier, no one was in sight and he could feel panic slowly bubbling inside him. Why wasn't anyone around? The rain wasn't that strong to the point that no one would come out and the way that the streets looked deserted was starting to add to his anxiety. It didn't help that the bookstore was still ways away since it was located on the other side of town.

He didn't know if it was his instinct or his intuition, or probably both, but whatever it was, that something inside him kept telling him to move faster, to get away; that his 'stalkers' were coming closer. And so, his brisk walk became a jog even though no footsteps were heard behind him.

Tsuna wondered if he should try to lose them like what he did last time, but thought against it. It wouldn't work. There weren't any people around and there weren't any alleys in this side of the town that he could use as a diversion. Also, there weren't that many stores since office buildings and firms were located in this part of town; he wouldn't be able to hide.

He looked over his shoulders as that something inside his mind told him to run faster. But like always, there was no one behind him and he was too preoccupied thinking what to do that he didn't notice the small puddle in front of him until he had stepped into it and slipped.

Yelping loudly, he fell forward on to the concrete, the umbrella landing a couple of feet in front of him. Propping himself up on his elbows, he quickly looked around him as he felt them draw closer. And as he turned his head to one side, he suddenly felt something whiz by the side of his face and he heard something hit the concrete below him. Looking down, he saw that there was a small hole on the concrete and something was lodged inside.

Getting a bit closer, Tsuna's blood ran cold as he saw what it was that created the small hole. A bullet. There was a bullet in the hole. And as if to remind him of what it was doing there, he felt something warm trickle on his cheek and drop on the concrete below.

Blood.

The warm liquid that was trickling down his cheek was blood. _His_ blood. All of a sudden, that something inside him that kept on telling him to get away intensified and he instinctively pushed himself off the concrete when another bullet whizzed through where his head was positioned before.

_Run!_ The something inside his head turned to a voice as he stared in horror at what just happened. _RUN!_ It screamed and Tsuna quickly shuffled to his feet and ran.

And as if that was all it took to trigger everything, footsteps suddenly came out from behind him, shouting and ordering each other while bullets came flying out of nowhere and Tsuna cried out in fear as he continued to duck and run from the bullets, discarding the fact that it was raining and he was very prone to slipping.

As Tsuna rounded corners and alleys, he thought of what he could have possible done in the life he forgot to get targeted like this. Was he some important person that needed to be disposed of? Or the son of some politician that was targeted to bring said politician down? Or connected to some secret project or something similar? Or... Oh god, he wasn't a criminal was he?

Tsuna yelped, barely catching himself as he slipped before ducking as another bullet went straight to where his head was earlier. The voices were getting closer and Tsuna looked over his shoulders to get a glimpse of his pursuers only to see men in suits with guns and daggers and... was that a bazooka?

"HIIIEEEEE! I'm going to die!" he screamed, running even faster as he saw the weapons of the men running after him. He was reaching an intersection again but just as he was a few feet away from it, a bunch of men suddenly appeared on the other side, making Tsuna stop for a second before squeezing into a the small space between the two building on his left that led to a series of alleys.

Lightly panting now, Tsuna brought up a hand to protect his eyes as the rain seemed to fall harder, making visibility low. It didn't help that the buildings that made up the alleys were tall, making the alleys much darker. The voices were starting to get distant as he continued running, hope that he was starting to lose the men running after him started to bubble inside when he saw the exit.

He was too focused on running and thinking of where to run to next when he exited the alley when he suddenly crashed into the person. Crying out in pain, Tsuna almost fell back from the impact if it wasn't for a pair of hands that held him steady.

"Tsuna?"

The voice snapped Tsuna from his stupor and he looked up to see worried amber eyes looking down at him. "Yamamoto..." he breathe out that was all it took to let his all the fear and panic he was feeling to catch up with him.

Yamamoto looked at him worriedly, as his body started shaking; from the cold or fear, Tsuna didn't know. "Tsuna, are you okay? What happened?" Yamamoto asked as he looked at him. Tsuna guessed the taller man was pretty shocked to see him coming out of the alley looking so dishelved and out of breath but he was too panicked and scared at the moment to care.

. "Y-Yamamoto! I- We have to get out of here! P-People... no, men... Men in suits! They just suddenly started to follow me! And now- now they're trying to shoot- We have to go!" Tsuna blurted out frantically, his words coming out in incomplete sentences as his panic levels continued to rise.

Yamamoto tried to calm him down but Tsuna suddenly tensed and whipped his head towards the alley he came from where voices and footsteps could be heard. "They're coming! Yamamoto they're coming! We have to go!" he exclaimed and tried to pull the man by the arm but Yamamoto held him firmly and pulled him over to large pillar of a nearby building a few feet away from the alley and kept him there.

"Yamamoto!" Tsuna called but his voice died as he saw the other's expression. The usual cheery smile was gone from Yamamoto's face, instead a serious expression was there and his eyes became sharp and looked almost murderous as he kept his eyes on the alley.

"Yamamoto?" Tsuna tried again as the voices became closer. "Tsuna." Yamamoto turned to him and Tsuna shuddered. He didn't like the expression on the other man. Yamamoto seemed to notice this as the sharpness in those amber eyes softened. "Tsuna." He tried again. "I know this is sudden, but can you go to the underground mall?" he asked.

"E-Eh?" Tsuna stared back in question. "W-What does that have to do-" "You have to go to the underground mall." Yamamoto cut him off and Tsuna fell silent as he heard the urgency in the man's tone. "But why?" he asked as he spared a glance at the alley's opening; the voices were getting closer than ever.

Yamamoto turned to it as well before speaking again. "Please, you have to go. It's the safest place there. Please trust me on this." he urged, Tsuna could almost see the plea in the tall man's eyes and he swallowed. "What about you? You keep saying I have to go there, but what about you?" he asked back.

The sharpness in Yamamoto's eyes returned. "I'll hold them back for you." He said and Tsuna's eyes widened. "No! You're not a part of this! They're after me not you! Why should you..." Yamamoto's eyes fixed on him and Tsuna felt his voice die. "Why?" was the only word he was able to blurt out.

"You're my friend, Tsuna." Yamamoto answered, saying it as if it was the natural thing to say. "Friends protect each other." He smiled despite the seriousness in his eyes. Tsuna was taken aback at the words but before he could even say anything in return, the voices had become loud enough to indicate that the men were almost out of the alley and Yamamoto turned back to him again. "Go to the underground mall and head to the parking area. You'll understand what I mean when you get there." Yamamoto told him and Tsuna caught a glimpse of the silver necklace that hung around Yamamoto's neck, the dog head and the insignia peeking out of his uniform.

Tsuna started at it for a couple of seconds before Tsuna looked at the taller male, chocolate brown locking on amber. "Promise me you'll be safe." He said and Yamamoto's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before grinning back. "I promise, Tsuna." he said before pushing Tsuna towards the direction of the underground mall. "Now go." He said just as the men in suits had exited the alley.

Tsuna looked back at the taller man before nodding and running towards the underground mall. He was still definitely scared and he didn't know why Yamamoto had done something like that for him. But he was sure about two things.

He trusted Yamamoto Takeshi.

And he was definitely happy to be called his friend.

* * *

Author's Notes:

As i said earlier, this chapter is freakishly long. And here I thought I wouldn't have to write such long chapters anymore XD (my first fanfic had almost all chapters this long). Not that I have a problem with it. It just takes longer to write and longer time to proofread.

And actually, this was already the half of what the intended chapter was supposed to be and this also wasn't the intended ending for this chapter. There was supposed to be another scene here but I realized that it was already too long and decided to cut it here and just continue the rest in the next chapter.

Oh, and if you think Gokudera's a bit OOC here please forgive me. I seem to enjoy writing him suffering from paperwork lol

And for the usual, grammar mistakes and/or OOCness and the like, please tell me.

As always! Reviews are greatly appreciated! Click the blue button below!


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Notes:

Apologies for the long wait. I haven't been feeling well lately so I took a few days off from writing. Incidentally, I got my new glasses and it took a while for me to get used to them (stupid headache inducing glasses). And then I saw a video in Youtube about Shiki and I got hooked and read the managa (coz watching the anime would take a much longer time) and then I saw 07-Ghost in TV and then I felt the urge to read the whole manga from the start (AGAIN) and then...

Okay, I'm stopping here. I'm just rambling now.

To **krizhna14**, Yes, yamamoto's a stalker too. But he's a Guardian so he's qualified. XD

To**monalisa**, Thanks! It is interesting, isn't it?

To **Ayz283**, No! don't die of suspense! Here's the next chapter!

To** Phantom Hitman 1412**, you have no idea how surprised I was to see such a long chapter. I was literally grinning while reading it and yes, I actually intended to show of Gokudera being the right hand man since most fics I read where Tsuna is missing is that either Reborn of the Ninth take over when it's obvious that it should be Gokduera. I actually enjoyed writing a suffering Gokudera, especially the part about the paperwork. I was laughing when I was proofreading that part XD Anyway, thanks for the really long review. Long reviews make me really happy! 8D

To **Anon**, Yes! The part where Yamamoto trying to calm Tsuna down was fluffy! (to me, at least) and I was actually surprised that that part came out that way.

To **Taira-keimei**, Yep! long chapters are the best!

To **long live marshmallow****s**, Yes. A cliffhanger. I haven't told you guys that I have a tendency to write cliffhangers, did I? And I have a feeling there'll be quite a lot here.

To **aLittleBlue**, Glad you liked the chapter! Yeah, Gokudera's part was pretty funny, I'm glad you think he isn't too OOC.

To **SioQu**, Thanks! I try my best to write without any mistakes. :))

To **Kiwicki**, yes, even I was getting excited while writing that part. Yes, I like to torture Gokduera with paperwork, it's fun XD. As for the three mysterious guys, well, all I can say is that you'll have to guess who they are coz I'm not revealing them until the right time comes (insert evil laugh) and your eview is already long enough as it is, I'm actually wondering how long you usually review. And also thank you! :))

And for everyone, thank you for saying that the chasing part was exciting! You have no idea how long I have been listening to upbeat instrumentals while writing that part. I was smiling all the while reading your review about it. Heck, even I got excited while writing it!

Now, on with the fic!

* * *

Chapter 11

The sound of bullets whizzing through the air was muffled by the rain as it fell in Namimori. Two men in suits were hiding behind a water tank at the top of a building, about to call for back up before a dark blur passed by and a couple of bullets lodged themselves inside their heads, killing them instantly.

The dark blur then landed on the building next to it and swiftly moved with ease as he dodged the numerous gunshots directed at him, his black fedora hat never once falling from his head, before sending his own bullets towards the men who shot at him.

After the gunshots stopped and all the men were confirmed dead, Reborn stopped and adjusted his fedora ever so slightly before he continued to leap from one building to another as he headed towards the location where Yamamoto last saw Tsuna was.

He had been following the brunette from afar after he had left his apartment that morning before taking a 'detour' when he realized that various assassins and mafiosi were coming after Tsuna. He had then left the brunette's protection to Yamamoto, knowing that the other would keep Tsuna safe until they reached the cafe while Reborn took care of the 'stalkers'.

It took him a bit longer than usual, but he arrived around an hour later than usual at the cafe. However, as he was just about to walk up to the establishment, he suddenly sensed that there were still some people heading over to where he was. So instead of going in to the cafe he had left immediately, but not before making sure that Tsuna was alright, and ordered Yamamoto to stay within the area of the cafe as he took care of more small fry. After all, it wouldn't do any good to add any more danger to his student than there already was.

"Yamamoto, how's the situation there?" Reborn spoke through the earpiece as he fired a shot on a few more men hiding in the alleys, not slowing down even once. Static could be heard from the background before Yamamoto's voice came through. "Not that good Reborn. There are quite a lot more people after him than yesterday; I'm having a bit of trouble with the long-ranged ones. There's quite a lot." Yamamoto answered as shuffling could be heard from his side. "And I still haven't found Tsuna." He added, and Reborn noted the tinge of worry in the other's voice.

"Alright. I'm heading over there now." Reborn muttered as he leapt to the buildings again, slightly hastening in his movements. He had already missed Tsuna's shift at the cafe and Yamamoto had said that the brunette already left for his second work and a few minutes ago, Yamamoto had alerted him that Tsuna suddenly ran into one of the alleys.

Yamamoto hadn't been able to chase after the brunette because of a sudden attack from the enemies and by the time he was done, Tsuna had disappeared.

A quiet shout was heard from below and Reborn hissed in annoyance as he deftly twisted his body to evade yet another round of gunshots and he landed on another building, two glocks in hand as he shot at another small group of men. After the incident during Tsuna's day off, there hadn't been much of an increase in the number of people after the brunette, which was why he had told Gokudera that it wasn't necessary to send one of the Guardians in Namimori to take his place when he left.

However this morning when he had taken a detour, he was actually a bit surprised to see that the numbers have increased drastically and with almost each block, there were about three to four different groups roaming around.

It wasn't exactly hard to deal with them. No, that wasn't the problem, killing such small fry was a breeze. It also wasn't because Gokudera left that they were starting to have a hard time. No. It was because the numbers suddenly increased almost twice overnight.

How that had happened, they had no idea, but Reborn had a strong feeling that it had something to do with the informant that had been leaking out the information about Tsuna.

Although he had to admit there were a few that could hold their ground longer than the rest. But they were no match for him, the world's greatest hitman.

He heard more shuffling from Yamamoto's side before he heard the other curse. "Yamamoto report." He demanded, slightly alarmed at hearing the uncharacteristic words from the younger man. "I've found Tsuna!" Yamamoto huffed as he shuffled about, probably running, from what he heard through the earpiece.

"Where?" Reborn hissed through the earpiece as he shot another man dead. "What's wrong?" he asked, landing on one of the rooftops when Yamamoto didn't answer. The sound of something being hit was heard before Yamamoto answered. "He suddenly came out of one of the alleys near the train station and said he was being chased by men in suits." Yamamoto quickly explained and Reborn fell silent as he continued to listen. "I had to take care of those men so I asked Tsuna to go to the underground mall where our base is." Yamamoto concluded "I'll be heading there when I finish here." he added.

Reborn remained silent. "Reborn?" Yamamoto called out. "Have you told Tsuna anything?" Reborn asked. "No. I just told him it was safe there." Yamamoto answered.

Reborn remained silent for a few more seconds as he aimed one of his guns behind him and shot, "Alright." the sound of a body falling to the concrete was heard. "I'll be heading over in that direction as well then." he said before heading over to the direction of the underground mall, haste showing in his movements.

His eyes carefully scanned each and every street, alley and corner for a glimpse of wild brown hair and eyes as he made his way to the underground mall. He had a feeling that something was about to go wrong and it didn't seem to go away even after hearing Yamamoto's report.

Moreover, because of the unexpected increase in the enemies, neither he nor Yamamoto had been able to check that area yet after they had left. Although it was relatively safe in the area because of the security measures built around the underground mall, he didn't exactly feel reassured either. From the men he'd killed so far, there were a few who were quite skilled and Tsuna only had his hyper intuition to rely on seeing as he didn't have any memories which left him vulnerable to attacks.

Reborn tsk'd as his movements became even faster, almost unnoticeable to anyone who looked his way, as he hurried over to area the brunette could be.

"Be safe, Tsuna." He murmured, hoping that the brunette would make it to the underground mall safe.

* * *

Tsuna stood stiffly against the cold wall, gripping his bag closer to his chest as he tried to breathe as noiseless as possible. On the street adjacent to his, a couple of men were standing around, looking for him. He huddled behind a lamp post, pressing himself further into the wall, when he heard footsteps coming near him and he brought a hand over to his mouth to muffle any sound he made. Luckily, before the footsteps reached the corner where he hid, the other man barked an order and the man near Tsuna went back.

A few minutes later, the men left, running in another direction away from where he was, and it was only then that Tsuna finally let out a sigh of relief. Making sure that the men were indeed gone, he took a peak at the street before leaning back at the wall, his body shaking from the cold rain that refused to stop and sighed.

He had followed Yamamoto's request and headed for the underground mall. However, just when he has only a few blocks away, he suddenly ran into more men in suits and he had no choice but to run away again. To make matters worse, he had ended up running towards the residential area where there weren't many alleys of high buildings that could hide him from view.

Deciding that staying there in the open wasn't such a good idea now that those men were gone, Tsuna hastily ran; after looking around to make sure there wasn't anyone around, as he tried to head back to the direction of the underground mall. As he ran, he couldn't help but think about how Yamamoto was doing.

Yamamoto... he remembered how the tall man had said that he'd hold those men back but he was worried. Those men had guns and other weapons that no civilian could possible fight against. Tsuna chewed on his lower lip. Did he do the right thing? Maybe he shouldn't have left Yamamoto back there. He could've been bluffing just to reassure him and could be hurt for all he knew!

Tsuna suddenly stopped as he thought of the smiling man. The man hardly knew him and yet he was willing to help him without asking what was wrong. A pang of guilt pierced him and Tsuna placed a hand on his chest. He was too scared about what was happening at the moment that he hadn't been able to think much but now that he did, he realized that he just left Yamamoto to deal with dangerous people that didn't even involve him.

"I should go back..." he muttered as he started to turn back to where he left Yamamoto.

A glint of silver passed in his mind and Tsuna stopped as his earlier thoughts returned to him. No. Even though he was worried for Yamamoto, he shouldn't go back. Yamamoto had decided to risk himself to help him. If he went back now, it was like he'd thrown away the chance to escape that Yamamoto gave him. No. He couldn't go back.

Tsuna shook his head as he started running towards the underground mall again. He trusted the man, he was sure of that. He just hoped that Yamamoto was alright and safe.

Hearing a few voices in the distance, Tsuna stopped and quickly hid himself beside another lap post and a couple trash cans. He stayed still for a few moments when the voices got louder, ordering each other to split up and look for him before he heard footsteps going in different directions.

He froze when one of the men suddenly passed by him at an incredibly fast pace and it was only a few seconds later that Tsuna realized that the man didn't notice him. Relieved, Tsuna waited a few more seconds before he peered out into the streets again and ran.

The rain continued to pour down mercilessly as he ran, creating puddles here and there. As he ran, his thoughts drifted back once more to Yamamoto. A semi-curious look crossed his face when he wondered why, out of all places; Yamamoto had said that the underground mall was the safest place to be.

Well, it probably had a lot of people so he could easily blend in with the crowd; as much as a wet, soaked person like him could blend in anyway, but aside from that, he really couldn't think of any other reasons why. Moreover, it was quite far from his apartment.

Tsuna blinked. Speaking of which, why hadn't he just returned to his apartment?

"There he is!"

A loud, gruff voice suddenly shouted just as he exited the residential area and seconds later, he felt another bullet whiz past his head and he instantly turned in the next corner without much thinking. He reached an intersection and turned to the right but skidded to a stop when he saw that there were also more men there and quickly ran in the other direction

"Hiiee!" he exclaimed as he ducked a few more bullets. He wondered how much longer would he have to run like this, but he didn't know how far he was from the underground mall since he was forced to run in random directions. He saw a few people innocently walking as a crossing came to view and he felt slightly relieved at seeing other people that weren't after his life. But then he remembered that the men chasing after him had guns and if he ran towards the direction where people were, they could get involved or worse, they could even get hurt.

Realizing this, Tsuna looked around for a different path but he found none. An idea quickly popped in his head and he braced himself as looked around once more before jumping over the road railing and ran straight across the road, screaming all the while as he evaded the cars that weren't able to stop on time.

As he miraculously reached the other side unscathed, he looked over his shoulder as he continued to run and saw that most of the men weren't expecting him to do that and had a hard time catching up; although there were still some who were agile enough and managed to remain hot on his heels. Hoping to lose them again, Tsuna turned in the nearest alley he saw.

After turning a few corners here and there, Tsuna stopped by a large dumpster and several abandoned boxes and hid there while catching his breath. Peering out in the direction he came from every now and then, he sighed in relief at the fact that no one seemed to have been able to follow him.

He was safe for now. However, for some strange reason the voice inside his head didn't calm down. It still continued to tell him to run; to get away from where he was. Bothered by this, Tsuna took another peek at the direction he came from and behind him but there was no one. After taking a few more breathes and making sure that there really was no one around, Tsuna stood up and was about to run again when he heard a gun click and he froze.

He now understood why the voice in his head didn't stop. Unfortunately, he forgot to look up. And as he did so, it was only then that he realized that there were three men in suits hovering above him.

"Looks like we've found the target." One of the men chuckled darkly and that was the only warning that Tsuna got before the voice inside him screamed and he tried to run away, narrowly missing the bullet that lightly grazed his arm.

Seeing that the brunette was trying to escape, the three quickly jumped down and landed in front of Tsuna who shrieked in surprise. "Trying to escape are you?" the largest of the three smirked as he grabbed him by the arm and Tsuna, in his panicked state, did the first thing that felt natural to him in this situation and delivered a roundhouse kick straight to the man's head.

Upon impact, the man quickly released the brunette and stumbled backwards before falling on one of the men, unconscious. Realizing what he did, Tsuna shrieked. "HIIIEEEE! Oh my god! What did I do!" he exclaimed before he quickly ducked when the one of the two men delivered a punch.

"Wait! I didn't mean to kick your friend unconscious!" he shouted as he continued to avoid and dodge a series of kicks and punches from the other. "Hiiee!" he shrieked when a bullet whizzed past his head again from the other man who was pushing his unconscious comrade off of him. His panic rose when he heard more voices coming their way and he looked around for a means of escape. The other two seemed to have gotten distracted for a few seconds when they heard the voices and it was then that Tsuna took the opportunity to hit them with a steel pipe he found lying among the boxes.

As the two men joined their unconscious friend on the ground, Tsuna quickly let go of the pipe and ran just as a small group of men had turned the corner.

"Oi! Come back here!" one of the men shouted once they saw that Tsuna was running away and started shooting their guns. Tsuna on the other hand, was busy having an internal monologue in his head while deciding where to run to next.

He could not believe he just kicked that big guy unconscious! He didn't even think of himself as someone who could punch another person much less kick someone senseless. Moreover he was bothered by how easy it seemed for him to do such a manoeuvre with such ease. It was as if his body was used to such things and reacted on its own. He did feel slightly guilty for hitting the other two as well though, since it looked like he swung the pipe too hard, but he wasn't sure and he was panicking and the only thought in his mind at the moment was that he had to get away.

His mind then wondered over to his earlier thoughts of who he was. Was it possible that he actually knew how to fight but forgot about it when he lost his memories?

"There he is!"

"Get him!"

"Don't let the target out of your sight!"

The voices continued to shout behind him and he tried to stall for time as he knocked down a couple of trash cans and abandoned boxes he found every now and then in the alleys that could serve as obstacles for his pursuers. It seemed to work for a while as the voices grew distant and he felt a sliver of relief wash through him.

He looked on ahead and noticed that the end of the alley also had a couple of men waiting for him so he stopped and turned to the nearest alley he found only to stop short. He couldn't help but feel his panic rising as he heard the voices coming nearer to where he was but he couldn't help but stare in dread at the sight in front of him.

He had run into a dead end.

* * *

Gokudera sat at one of the chairs of the meeting room of the Vongola mansion, jaw clenched tightly and arms crossed over his chest and a dark scowl on his face. A glare that would undoubtedly send all of their subordinates running in fear was currently directed at the small cup of tea that innocently sat on the table in front of him.

"You do know that the more you scowl like that, the more possible it is to have wrinkles at a young age, right?"

Gokudera turned to his left where Lambo sat; making the teen flinch as he suddenly became the receiving end of the silver haired man's glare. "Care to repeat that, Lambo?" he hissed and the mere fact that the older man called Lambo by his name meant that the Storm Guardian was definitely pissed.

Lambo gulped as he tried to speak again. "I-I was just trying to lighten the mood. S-Sorry." He mumbled slowly, unconsciously scooting closer to his left where Chrome sat sipping at her tea. Gokudera merely snorted and returned to glaring at the poor cup of tea in front of him.

Ryouhei crossed his arms. "You're still extremely upset about what extremely happened at the meeting, aren't you?" he glanced at the silver haired man and that was enough to trigger the Storm's anger.

"Of course I'm still angry! Those fucking bastards don't even seem to think and just say what they want whenever they want!" Gokudera exploded. He had been restraining himself ever since the meeting with the allied famiglia's and it was only now that he had managed to vent it out. "How dare they say that I'm taking over Vongola completely! I'm just the right hand man!" he continued, slamming his hands on the table and making the cup jump slightly.

"But they don't know the truth, Gokduera-san." Chrome replied calmly, seemingly unaffected by the bomber's venting. Gokduera turned to Chrome. "That's the most annoying thing about it! They don't even know the truth and yet they dare to assume that Jyuudaime is dead and that I'm taking over! Jyuudaime is alive and well!" he slammed his hands on the table again, his tea cup miraculously remaining upright despite the impact.

Anger was building up again inside Gokduera as he remembered the meeting. It wasn't anything serious actually, and obviously didn't have any ill intent when it was spoken about since it occurred during the start of the meeting where most of the dons still consume in idle talk.

Unfortunately, one of the dons had inquired about the state of the Vongola famiglia and about the missing Decimo. At the mention of the missing don, everyone's, aside from Dino, Enma and Uni, attention suddenly fell on Gokduera and the others and began asking about it as well. And as much as Gokudera would have liked to announce that Tsuna was alive and well, it was agreed upon that no one will speak about anything until Tsuna has returned to Vongola. So he had told them the usual excuse that they were still searching for their beloved boss and that was what triggered the question of whether the Decimo was still alive.

Suffice to say, it took all of Gokduera's will to actually restrain himself from bringing out his dynamites and blow up everyone that dared to ask the state of his beloved boss. The questions came out merely as a result of curiosity and interest, but Gokudera knew that beneath all that, there were actually some dons who were slightly relieved.

Because despite the past eight years since Tsuna officially became Decimo, there were still a few famiglia's who didn't agree with his way of handling things and only followed because of Tsuna's strength. And when Tsuna went missing, there was no one left to keep them in place.

Luckily, Dino had noticed Gokudera's restraint and had helped diffuse the discussion by asking about the more urgent matters that needed to be discussed and it was only when everyone had become serious that Gokudera was able to calm down.

"We extremely know that, Gokudera." Ryouhei started. "And I extremely understand why you're angry; I'm extremely angry too!" Ryouhei said seriously. "But we extremely have no choice but to extremely deal with it until Sawada comes back to the extreme!" he finished and both Lambo and Chrome nodded.

Upon seeing the other's reactions, Gokudera sighed and leaned back in his seat and grumbled something incoherently before he drank his tea.

And exactly a minute later, a knock was heard and everyone's attention turned to the door that swung open, revealing Dino, Enma and Uni.

"You're late." Gokudera commented as Chrome stood up and offered them a cup of tea. Dino rubbed the back of his neck looking both sheepish and apologetic. "Sorry about that. The Tomaso don didn't let me go until we had a couple of matters discussed. Enma and Uni ended up waiting for me." He explained as they took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"Tch." Gokudera glared at the blonde for a second before grabbing his cup to drink again.

Dino blinked. "You look upset, Gokudera." He commented and raised his hands in a calming manner when Gokudera merely glared at him again.

"He's still angry at what happened when the meeting started." Lambo explained and immediately the three understood. "Well, that was rather rude." Uni commented and Enma nodded. "That's right, they shouldn't have said that. Tsuna-kun is alive." He said.

"Speaking of Tsuna," Dino started, his mood turning serious. "Where is my little brother?" he asked. Both Uni and Enma turned to Gokudera who had placed the cup back on the table.

After a few seconds of silence, Gokudera spoke. "Jyuudaime is in Japan." He answered; all traces of anger and irritation replaced by seriousness. The three bosses perked up at this. "Japan? Where in Japan?" Enma was the first one to speak. "How did you find him? Is he alright? Why didn't he come back yet?" Dino added while Uni looked hopeful.

Gokudera raised a hand and the two dons stopped. "Jyuudaime is in Namimori." He started. "But before you ask any more questions, please let us explain first." He spoke when he noticed that they would start asking questions again and the three nodded.

The next hour was spent explaining to the two dons and donna what happened; how they found Tsuna, and that he had no memories whatsoever, Reborn's plan and the current situation back in Namimori.

"Currently, Jyuudaime is being protected by Reborn-san and Yamamoto. However, I'm still worried about the increasing number of people targeting Jyuudaime." Gokudera spoke, feeling tired all of a sudden as the stress of handling Vongola and worrying about Tsuna started to sink in.

Dino frowned. "Yes, that is worrying. But I'm also worried about this informant you talked about. You said that you couldn't trace who this person is and that this person is the one responsible for leaking information about Tsuna's whereabouts." He said, crossing his arms.

"Yes," Chrome answered. "Not even Shouichi-san or Gianini-san was able to find any trace of this person." She said. "The CEDEF is also extremely helping us with this extreme investigation, but there's still no leads found to the extreme!" Ryouhei added.

"That is troubling." Enma muttered, brows furrowing in worry. "And not even those who had contacted this person know who this person is."

A moment of silence passed by the meeting room as the occupants fell into their own thoughts. A thought suddenly popped up in Dino's mind and he decided to break the silence. "Hey, Gokudera." He called, making the silver haired man look at him. "It might be a bit far-fetched, but do you think that this informant you're looking for is also the same person responsible for that rumour?" he asked.

Gokudera blinked at the sudden question before something clicked in his mind. "It's possible." He said and all the other occupants aside from Dino looked at him questioningly. "What's possible?" Enma asked, looking between Dino and Gokudera.

Dino turned to them. "I'm talking about the possibility that this informant is the same one that has been spreading that rumour about the alliance." Dino explained and a look of understanding passed through their faces as they realized what the two were talking about.

It had been discussed in the meeting earlier that there was a certain rumour going around the mafia world about an alliance being formed by several famiglia's against the Vongola and its allies. Although there was no proof of such an alliance existing as well as who were in it, it was enough to rile up some of the allied famiglia's.

"So you're saying that this unknown informant that has been leaking information about Tsuna-kun is also possibly the one spreading this rumour about that alliance." Enma said and both Dino and Gokduera nodded.

"But why would they do that?" Lambo asked, slightly confused. "That's extremely right! I extremely don't see any connection between this extreme informant and the rumour!" Ryouhei said, looking confused as well.

"No, there's a connection."

All eyes turned to Gokudera, even Dino, prompting him to continue. Gokduera looked at them. "There's only one thing I can think of that would connect these two seemingly unconnected problems." He paused before turning to the only occupant that has remained silent. "Isn't that right, Uni?"

At the mention of the young woman, all eyes then turned to Uni. "Uni?" Dino repeated. "Do you know something about this?" he asked.

Uni shook her head. "No, I don't." She answered. "However, I have seen something that might just be the connection that Gokudera-san mentioned." She said; a frown marred her features. Understanding what she meant, Dino asked. "You had a vision?"

Uni nodded. "I have already informed Gokudera-san and the others about this." she paused. "I saw a vision where the Vongola is destroyed."

Both Dino and Enma gasped the moment they heard her words but they remained silent. Uni took this as her cue to continue. "I saw Vongola engulfed in flames. Death and destruction were abound and everyone was fighting." She looked down at her hands as a sad expression crept up her face. "However, I had not seen who it is that you are against, or how such destruction had started. All I saw is a person; a man, standing in the midst of this chaos." She said quietly.

"Did you see who this man was?" Enma asked. Uni shook her head. "No. I have tried to see it countless times already, but everytime I tried to see who that man was, everything would turn to a blur." She explained.

Another moment of silence fell upon them as they let the words sink in and once again, it was Dino who took the initiative to break it. "So you're saying that this could be the reason why the two are connected." He said and Gokudera nodded. "It's the only thing I could think of that might actually happen." He paused and ran a hand through his hair. "It's possible that this informant is planning to bring Vongola down by targeting Jyuudaime."

Dino sighed. "This is quite a problem." He muttered before looking back at Gokudera. "Gokudera, if you'll allow me, I'd like to help on the investigation about this informant." He said.

Gokudera blinked at the suggestion. The Cavallione famiglia does have the largest information network since they're the largest mafia famiglia. Having them help in the investigation would certainly benefit them but...

"Well, that would be incredibly helpful. But I thought that you already volunteered to handle the case about that small group that randomly attacked the shipments and territories of several mafia familgia's, aren't you already busy?" he said as he stared at the blonde don.

"Nah, it's okay! I insist!" Dino answered, waving his hand. "Besides, I won't let anything bad happen to my little brother if I can help it." He added seriously and Gokudera sighed. "Alright then, we gratefully accept your offer. Also, don't hesitate to ask for help when it comes to that group you're chasing after." Dino grinned as he heard the bomber's reply. "Will do!" he chirped.

"Um, " everyone turned to Enma as he started to speak. "Although the Shinom famiglia is small, we would like to help you as well in any way we can." Enma spoke as a smile crept up his face. "After all, Tsuna-kun is my friend." He said. Uni smiled. "I've already said this before, but I would like to say it again, the Giglio Nero famiglia will always be here to lend a hand as well."

Gokudera straightened at hearing the words from the three. "Thank you. I'm sure Jyuudaime would be really happy to know that." He said and after a few minutes everyone finally managed to relax as the tension that accumulated during the entire meeting dissipated and they fell into a more relaxed conversation. And as Chrome poured everyone another cup of tea, Gokudera couldn't help but think about how Tsuna was doing back in Namimori.

"Jyuudaime, I hope you're doing fine back there."

* * *

Tsuna stared at the pale white walls the surrounded him from all three sides and was about to take a step back and run into the opposite direction when a click of a gun froze him on the spot.

"Well now, looks like you've nowhere to run now."

Tsuna swallowed hard as he slowly turned to see several men standing on his only exit, guns and other weapons in hand. He shivered as he saw the murderous glares directed at him and he unintentionally took a step back. A bullet made its way to the concrete near his feet and he yelped "U-Uh, w-wait! C-Can't we talk about t-this first?" he stuttered, raising his hands in a surrendering manner and the men only scoffed.

"We're rather tired of hearing you talk." One of the men sneered. And Tsuna blinked. Tired? Of hearing him talk? He hadn't even said anything to these men and they were already tired of hearing him talk? What?

"We just want to kill you." another said darkly and this time, Tsuna shuddered at the malice dripping off his voice. Taking another step back, Tsuna tried to scan his surroundings for anything he could use. If he couldn't talk his way out if this situation, he could try fighting. He just hoped that he could do what he did to those other men again to these men. At least, fight enough to get a chance to escape.

"Now now, what are you looking for?" the man with the gun cocked it straight at Tsuna and chuckled darkly. "You can't possible escape with your current condition."

Tsuna stared at the man as he heard those words. Current condition? So these men knew of his memory loss? Wait, does that mean that he actually knew how to fight then, if the indication from the man's words was true?

Thinking quickly, Tsuna turned to the man. "Are you sure about that?" he said as calm as he could, although inwardly he was panicking. But he needed to think about what to do next and he needed to stall for time. If bluffing would get him that time then he would do it. He didn't want to die so young thank you very much; and in an ally of all places too.

The man seemed to tense up for a moment and Tsuna thought it worked but thought again when the man just smirked. "Oh, I'm sure about that." He said and shot.

The voice inside his head screamed and Tsuna quickly moved to his left but the bullet managed to graze him and he stumbled a few steps backwards.

The man's smirk grew. "See? You can't even dodge a bullet. Killing you now will be a piece of cake." He chuckled darkly as he and the rest of the men aimed their guns toward the brunette.

"Arrividecci, Vongola Decimo."

Tsuna closed his eyes as he waited for the bullets to raze through his body but the moment he heard the gun shots, a loud clang of metal was heard as well as the sound of a powerful swing and instead of hearing himself cry in pain, he heard the cry from the men.

Surprised, Tsuna opened his eyes only to see a tall figure standing in front of him, a katana held in both hands. When he looked towards the men he was shocked to see that two of them were collapsed on the ground bleeding and man who was talking to him earlier held his arm that was bleeding profusely and the remaining men took several steps back in surprise as a figure stood in front of Tsuna.

"Haha! We made it in time."

That voice... Tsuna looked back at the figure as a look of relief crossed his face. "Ya...Yamamoto?"

"Dame-Tsuna is really dame."

Tsuna jerked in surprise and looked up where the voice came from and his eyes immediately met black orbs.

"...Reborn."

Reborn smirked at the mention of his name, his guns never leaving its aim on the men, and looked down at the relief-filled eyes of his student.

"Chaos."

* * *

Author's Notes:

And we have another cliffhanger... please don't kill me. Ahem, anyway, I hope you like this chapter too! Though I don't know if it's up to par with the last chapter (I hope it is). And just a little info, I was also listening to upbeat instrumentals while writing this to get into the mood.

Also, I'm might not be able to update just as fast as I did before because I finally have a job! (HUZZAH!) and I'm starting tomorrow. Sadly, it would take up most of my writing time. However, I still plan to update weekly. We'll see if I can update twice a week, but if not, then once a week. Don't worry, I won't let you guys wait long for the next update. :))

Also! For any mistakes, grammar, tensing, phrasing and the like, you guys know what to do...

Now click that lovely blue button below and let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Notes:

Apologies for the wait. Adjusting to my new time schedule now that I have work was harder than I expected and took up most of my writing and sleeping time. Working in a library is actually really tiring. Anyway, here's Chapter 12

To **Taira-keimei**, yeah, I know it's a cliffie, but it just had to end that way.

To **long live marshmallows**, I know right? Tsuna giving a roundhouse kick out of nowhere! EXTREME! XD

To **SioQu**, I'm so sorry! (gives elixir of life) there you go, now you can go read again XD and yes, yes he will demand answers. But you gotta read to find out how :)

To **MissDinosaur**, thank you! It really makes me happy when people say that my story is interesting and/or that they love it, and you said both. :)

* * *

Chapter 12

"Chaos."

"Reborn..." Tsuna stared at Reborn as the man stood on the edge of the building behind him, arms raised as he kept his guns aimed on the men in front of him.

He heard someone shuffle in front of him and he looked at Yamamoto, who stood between him and the men on the other side of the alley. "Are you okay, Tsuna?" he asked as he slightly turned his head towards him.

Tsuna blinked, his mind still hadn't fully gripped the sudden change in the situation, and managed to give a small nod. Yamamoto grinned, although it was barely seen from his position since he was mostly facing the men. "That's good." He said and at hearing his words, Tsuna seemed to snap out of his stupor.

"Wait! Yamamoto! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? I shouldn't have left you back there! And... how did you get here? And those men..." he said frantically as his arms flailed in both worry and surprise.

Yamamoto merely laughed at his reaction, instantly stopping Tsuna's rant. "Why are you laughing?" Tsuna asked, baffled at the man's response. He had men chasing after him for reasons he didn't know and had been running around town panicking and worrying about the Yamamoto and here he was laughing. "I was really worried!" he exclaimed.

Yamamoto smiled apologetically. "Haha! Sorry about that. I was just surprised at your reaction." He said. "Don't worry, I'm not hurt." He added.

Tsuna blinked and let his eyes roam over the other's body. True enough, there weren't any signs of injury on Yamamoto at all. Relief washed over him at that moment and it was then that his eyes fell on the swords that Yamamoto held. "Yama-"

"Dame-Tsuna, you're noisy."

The deep voice from behind cut him off and both Tsuna and Yamamoto looked back just in time to see Reborn step down from the building.

Tsuna almost shrieked as he saw the man literally step off the edge of the building but he ended up squawking in surprise as Reborn landed in front of him, making him step back towards Yamamoto, who merely grinned. Tsuna, on the other hand, stared in shock as the fedora wearing man stood in front of him and acted as if jumping off a building was normal.

Reborn turned to him and raised an elegant brow. "What?"

Tsuna stared, unsure of how to react. After all, it wasn't everyday you see a person jump off from a three storey building and land as if it was normal and was about to just say that when the sound of guns clicking brought him back from his thoughts to his current situation and he looked ahead of Yamamoto where he saw the remaining men had all of their guns aimed at them.

"Fire!" one of the men shouted and that was the only warning they got before the men pulled the trigger and sent a barrage of bullets towards them.

Tsuna's blood ran cold and closed his eyes, this time expecting the pain of being shot, when a hand suddenly grabbed him on the shoulder and he opened his eyes to see Reborn. "Stay back and don't move." He said before Tsuna was pushed behind Reborn and the fedora wearing man turned to Yamamoto as he gave a couple of shots back.

"Yamamoto!"

Hearing the name of the other, Tsuna looked up at Yamamoto just in time to see him run forward and swing his swords, effectively deflecting the bullets that were sent their way. "Yamamoto!" he called out but the other merely continued to head towards the men.

"Dame-Tsunathere's no need to worry about him." he turned to Reborn as he heard those words. "Why shouldn't I?" he asked, peeved at the fedora wearing man's almost nonchalant attitude about the situation. "Those men are after me, not him! Why should Yamamoto fight them? He could get hurt!" he said heatedly and he felt even angrier when Reborn, merely sent him a glance before returning his eyes forward.

"Yamamoto doesn't carry swords for nothing." He answered back before smirking. "And such weak people won't even be able to get a scratch on him."

Tsuna stared at Reborn's reply, incredulity evident in his expression. The way Reborn spoke, it was as if Reborn knew that Yamamoto could fight, that he _knew_ him. And it seemed to be the same for Yamamoto when he mentioned 'we' earlier on; which meant that these two knew each other? But how? Since when? He'd never seen the two together before in town, nor had they mentioned anything that would tell the brunette that they knew each other.

The sound of screams and cries of pain filled his ears and it was only then that Tsuna remembered that Yamamoto charged towards the men that were after him. He quickly turned his head in Yamamoto's direction and his eyes widened in surprise.

In front of him Yamamoto stood, unscathed and swords in hand. Around him on the ground were the men that, moments ago, were chasing after him, limp and unconscious.

"What..." was the only thing Tsuna was able to utter as he stared in shock at the scene in front of him. The men that looked so scary and intimidating; the men that he had tried so hard to lose, to get away from, were defeated by Yamamoto, in such a short time too.

A few seconds passed before Yamamoto turned back to them and blinked as he saw Tsuna. "Are you okay, Tsuna?" the question seemed to snap the brunette out of his shock and Tsuna blinked as he realized that two pairs of eyes were looking at him. "A-Ah, yes. I'm fine." He stuttered a little as he turned his attention to the swordsman. "A-Are you okay though? And... um..." he fidgeted, a tinge of nervousness on his voice as he looked at Yamamoto.

Yamamoto smiled. "I'm fine." He answered. "And don't worry, those guys aren't dead. I just knocked them unconscious." He added and it was then that Tsuna realized that Yamamoto must have noticed the quick glance he gave those men before he spoke. "I-I see."

A few seconds of silence fell before it as broken by Reborn. "Anyway, we shouldn't stay here any longer. We have to move to somewhere safe." He said and sent a knowing look to Yamamoto who nodded. "He's right; we have to get away from here. There might be more people coming after you." Yamamoto added as he turned to Tsuna and was just about to reach for the brunette when Tsuna took a step back.

"Wait."

Both Reborn and Yamamoto looked a bit surprised at Tsuna, who remained standing in the same place he was before. "Tsuna?" Yamamoto called, but Tsuna merely looked back at them, and unreadable expression on his face. "Why should I go with you?" he asked a moment later and the two men stared at him.

Reborn stepped closer. "Dame-Tsuna, there isn't much time; there are people after you, not just these guys. We have to go before they find out that you're here. We have to-"

"How do you know that?" Tsuna asked back, a doubtful look on his face as he stared back at the two men.

Both Reborn and Yamamoto fell silent at hearing his words and a guilty expression crossed Yamamoto's face for a moment before his smile fell.

Tsuna frowned at the lack of response. "How do you know that there are more people that might be looking for me?" he repeated. "Moreover, why does it seem like the two of you actually know each other? Just what is going on?" he asked, his tone taking a sharp edge with it as he demanded an answer.

He was really thankful that they helped him, but the fact that they seemed to know more about what was happening to him and why those men were after him seemed to raise suspicion and doubt for the two.

After all, ever since he met them, he had known Reborn and Yamamoto as two, completely different strangers with no relation whatsoever to each other. And now here they were, talking to each other and acting together as if they knew each other quite well. In his own opinion, anyone in the same situation would think the same way.

Yamamoto laughed, but it had a tinge of nervousness in it. "Haha, Tsuna, maybe we should go somewhere else first. You know, so we can talk? We really shouldn't stay here any longer." he said as he tried to maintain the grin on his face.

Tsuna remained in place; the frown on his face was replaced by a serious expression. "No." He stared at the two. "Not until you've told me what's going on." He said sternly.

Yamamoto's smile disappeared when he spoke while Reborn didn't show any change and just stood there as Tsuna demanded answers. "Like what I and Yamamoto said before, we have to move to someplace safe. But if you really insist on asking, you better think about what you want to ask because we're only answering three questions before we go, and it better be quick Dame-Tsuna." He said, black orbs meeting Tsuna's brown ones.

Tsuna stared back as he thought about what Reborn said. It was true that there may be more people after him, that much was true and he agreed that he needed to get away from there. However, he really couldn't just go and do what they say either. After all, both Yamamoto and Reborn seemed to know something about his situation and the way they had handled those men didn't really reassure him that he was safe, despite what the voice inside his head is telling him, he still couldn't help but be wary.

It was his life that he was protecting, after all.

"Tsuna." Reborn called and Tsuna sighed. "Alright, three questions." He breathe out as he thought about what he wanted to ask. There were so many, he only had three to ask, so he better think things through.

"Why should I go with you?"

"So that we can make sure that you don't get into situations like the one earlier." Reborn answered without missing a beat. Tsuna blinked. "Why?" he blurted out, perplexed as to why they needed to help and protect him. Reborn smirked. "Is that you're second question?" Tsuna frowned. "No." He said before thinking of which question he should ask next.

"I thought so. Hurry up, dame-Tsuna, we don't have much time." Reborn said. "I know!" Tsuna replied back exasperatedly. He knew that they shouldn't stay in that place any longer but he just couldn't go with them without clearing out a few questions, most of which would affect his trust for the two, but Reborn didn't have to rush him!

"Tsuna."

Letting out a sigh, he decided on another question. "How do I know that you're not just pretending to be on my side and are actually after me too?" he asked, a bit peeved at Reborn for hurrying him.

Yamamoto's eyes widened a bit at the question, surprised. "You think we're going to hurt you?" he asked and Tsuna tried to suppress the sudden pang of guilt that he felt when he heard the slightly pained voice from the other. Tsuna averted his eyes. "No, not really." He admitted. "But..." he glanced at the unconscious men a few feet behind the two.

Reborn and Yamamoto followed his gaze and Yamamoto gave a small smile in understanding. "We won't hurt you Tsuna. I said it before, friends protect each other." He said as his smile grew. Tsuna, felt the small pang of guilt grow when he heard that and for some reason, he felt bad for asking that question.

He looked up, however, when he heard a scoff and looked up to Reborn. "You really are dame, dame-Tsuna." He commented, which earned him a glare of sorts from the brunette and a laugh from Yamamoto. "You know, if we really are after you and wanted to kill you like those men, you would've been dead by now and not asking these questions of yours." He said as he crossed his arms.

Tsuna felt his face heat up at the matter-of-fact tone Reborn used on him. It reminded him of the times Reborn used to tease him when they were at the cafe, except this one made him feel like it was something that even common sense could answer and that the answer he wanted was already obvious enough; which, now that he thought of, actually is.

"Alright, enough of this idle chatter." Reborn spoke, earning Tsuna's attention back to him. "Your third question." He stared at the brunette, his fedora casting a light shadow to cover his eyes.

Tsuna fell silent. Now that he had confirmed that Reborn and Yamamoto weren't also after his life and that they would keep him safe, there was only one more question that remained in his mind, for now anyway. "My third question..." He started. "...is something that I've been asking myself for a while now." He paused. "It's also something that I've connected to the things I've noticed from you," His eyes turned to Yamamoto, who stared back in question. "and his connection to you." He then turned to Reborn, who seemed to already know what he was going to ask, if the knowing smirk was anything to go by.

"And what is that question?" Reborn asked, the smirk never leaving his face and that was the only thing Tsuna needed to confirm his question, but he had to ask.

"Do you know who I am?"

A moment of silence fell on them as Tsuna waited for a response from the two.

The smirk on Reborn's face grew just a little more as he heard the question while Yamamoto looked surprised at hearing the question. "Well..." he scratched his cheek as he turned to Reborn, who merely nodded in return, before his expression became serious.

"Yes, we do."

Tsuna stared wide eyed at Yamamoto, then at Reborn as he felt his shoulders sag a little in disbelief. He had already had a hunch after he had that conversation with Yamamoto that morning, but now that he had heard it from him and Reborn... well, to say he was shocked was an understatement. After all, he had found people who knew him; people who knew who he _was_. He would finally be able to know who he was and what happened to him and why it had happened to him.

He blinked. Wait a minute. He found people who knew him. People who could _fight_ and _kill_ if they wanted to and they said he was their friend... _what_?

Yamamoto blinked curiously as Tsuna's stare changed from surprised to incredulous. "Tsuna?" he called out as he stepped closer to the brunette. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Tsuna jerked as he heard the question and was a bit surprised to see Yamamoto already standing beside him. "A-Ah, I'm f-fine." He managed to say but inside he was still silently panicking because of his earlier thoughts. If the people who knew him and considered him their friend could fight... and kill if they wanted to, does that mean that his guess about being related to some sort of crime or that he was a criminal actually true?

He glanced at Yamamoto who was looking back at him curiously before turning to Reborn who just stared back and then back to Yamamoto. He really wanted to ask, but how could he? He couldn't just ask outright ask about it. It didn't seem like it was the right thing to do right now. Plus he was still a bit shaken up by the whole being-chased-around-town thing and the revelation of Reborn and Yamamoto knowing who he was.

"That's enough, we need to go. Now." Reborn ordered and Yamamoto grinned. "Yeah, we should move somewhere else so that we can talk more. Somewhere warm and dry." He said and it was only then that Tsuna remembered that it was still raining and he was soaked, clothes, shoes and all.

"Then, should we go to the underground mall?" he asked as he turned to Yamamoto. "No, we'll go somewhere else." Reborn answered. "Eh? Why? I thought Yamamoto said it was safe there." Tsuna answered back, though he still wondered how a mall could be safe, he'd better ask that later.

Reborn tilted his head a little higher. "No, we won't go there. I saw some men running in that direction. We have to go to a place they don't know." He said. Tsuna held back a groan. He did not want to go into another round of running around the town. He was already wet and tired and he'd been running around for a over an hour now and he didn't want to do it anymore.

Wait a minute. Tsuna blinked before his eyes widened at the realization that just dawned on him and did the thing he was most known for. He shrieked. "Hiiieeee! Oh my god, I forgot about work!" he exclaimed as he pulled his bag in front of him and opening it, bringing the attention of the other two to him.

Yamamoto frowned. "You're still going to work?" he asked as Tsuna continued to look inside his bag. Tsuna shook his head. "No, I really want to talk to you guys and I can't do that if I go to work. I just need to call my manager and tell him I can't make it today." He answered before he found his phone and sighed in relief at seeing it dry despite how wet his bag was. He turned to the other two. "Um, I'll just make a call, is that alright?"

"Make it quick. We've already lost a lot of time." Reborn answered while Tsuna fumbled with his phone, seeming to think of what to say. When he didn't receive a reply from the other, he added. "You have exactly one minute to make that call before I drag you out of here." The dark haired man said as he brought his hand up to look at his watch.

That seemed to snap the brunette from whatever he was doing as he suddenly began to panic. "Hiiieee! Alright! Alright! I'm going to call!" Tsuna shrieked as he fumbled with his phone more before bringing it to his ear. A couple of rings and a lot of 'I'm sorry's later, Tsuna had ended the call and sighed in relief as he made it under one minute.

"Alright, I'm done. Where are we going?" he asked a bit dryly. He was really tired and already just wanted to find a place where they could talk and find out more about himself. A thoughtful expression seemed to pass through the fedora wearing man's face before it turned to a smirk.

"We're going to your apartment of course."

* * *

Author's Notes:

Short chapter is short. I know. I had a hard time writing this because I couldn't get the flow right and when I did, my perfectionist side kept bugging me about the dialogue and i edited the ending part again. And I also know that it's not as good as my other chapters, especially the ending. But this is the most I could make of this chapter and I didn't think I could add any more. So I'm saving the rest for the next chapter (which I hope I'll be able to write soon).

Also, I'm taking back the 'try to update twice a week' thing. With the way my work schedule is now, it will take time for me to adjust fully so now I'll only say that I'll try to update once a week. It's a drastic change from my usual updating speed, but please bear with me.

Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter (even though it isn't as good as the others) and let me know what you guys think by reviewing.

:))


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Notes:

Hurray for quick update! i had a really unproductive Monday so I ended up writing the dialogues so that I wouldn't look like an office bum. XD

To **BloodyDarkNaruto**, Don't worry, nothing's in his apartment. None that I know of anyway lol. You gotta read this chap. to know answer the rest of your questions so... go read! :))

To **Taira-keimei**, Thanks for reviewing too! yeah I was kinda thinking that Tsuna turned into boss mode for a while, demanding answers. And I'm glad to know that you like the way i write him.:))

To **DiamondGoddess**, Thank you! I know it's a bit different. It's one of the reason's I wrote this story: I haven't found fic that has a plot like this before so I wrote one.

To **long live marshmallows**, you really think it turned out well? (sighs in relief) thank you! You have no idea how long I've been thinking over and over again about changing a few parts again after I've posted it. But since you said it was okay then I'm okay with it as well. :))

To **SioQu**, Yeah, I was expecting to have their talk in the last chapter too but it just didn't go as expected. I hope this new chapter meets your expectations :)

To **hinamori chrome**, here's moooooooooooooorrreeeeeee :))

* * *

Chapter 13

The sound of footsteps splashing every now and

then was heard through the street as Tsuna, together with Reborn and Yamamoto walked quietly. Leading the way, Tsuna glanced over his shoulder where Yamamoto and Reborn followed behind him, a couple of steps away before turning his attention back in front of him as his mind continued to replay their conversation a few minutes ago.

When he heard that Reborn decided that they should move on to his apartment, he was surprised and was really adamant at the man's decision reasoning that the people who were chasing him might be able to follow him back home. However Reborn rebutted and said that out of all the places in Namimori, the biggest part was the residential area where Tsuna's apartment was located and the possibility of the enemy finding out about where he lived was low. He also added that despite the numerous attempts on his life, not one of them had been directed anywhere near that area.

Although those reasons were also possible, he still hadn't agreed and it was only when Yamamoto mentioned that he and Reborn could always just 'handle' those men if they ever appear did he finally agree; though he was still slightly adamant about it.

After all, it was around an hour ago when he was still running around the edge of the residential area with men hot on his heels.

They turned a corner and soon, his apartment building came to view, making the urge to walk faster to reach the warmth and safety of his home grow. As they reached the gate, Tsuna quietly pushed it open and entered before pushing it wider to allow the other two to enter before closing it behind him.

"So this is where you live, Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked, looking at the building, the ever cheerful smile on fcae. Tsuna scratched his cheek. "Uh, yeah." He was a bit curious as to what could possibly look interesting to the other. There really wasn't much to see except for the two building apartment complex that had four units in each floor, the largest unit in the first being the landlord's, and a small storage house that stood by the corner. The only thing that could be worth the time to look at was the small flower garden that the landlord's wife tended to; which was blooming with a few different kinds of flowers.

"Well then, shall we go in?" Reborn asked, though it sounded more like a statement than a question and Tsuna silently obliged, not really wanting to spend a moment longer outside in the rain, and led the way up to the stairs.

Once reaching the second floor, he quickly opened his bag to look for his keys while Reborn and Yamamoto followed silently behind as he led them to the door at the farthest side of the floor. Exclaiming a quiet 'aha!' when he found his keys, he quickly unlocked the door, swung it open and stepped in.

Quickly placing his soaked bag and hoodie on a rack placed by the door, he stopped and turned to them. "Um, you guys wait here for a moment. I'll just go get some towels." He said to the two, gesturing for them to stay at the genkan, before he took of his shoes and socks and grabbed his wet hoodie before disappearing through a door.

A few seconds of silence fell between the two guests before Yamamoto cleared his throat. "So," Yamamoto started as he looked around Tsuna's apartment "what are we going to tell him? Are we gonna tell him everything?" he asked as he turned back to the fedora wearing man. Reborn didn't look back and instead kept his eyes on the apartment. "No. Not everything." He answered.

Yamamoto stared back questioningly and he sighed. "What I mean is that we should probably wait a bit more before we tell him about being involved with the mafia." He explained as Leon suddenly crept up on his shoulder and flicked its tongue. "But why?" Yamamoto asked, the questioning expression still on his face.

Reborn petted Leon before the reptile moved onto his hand. "I want to find out what happened to Tsuna first and when I think that it's safe enough to tell him everything or when the time is right, then we'll tell him." he answered. The smile on Yamamoto's face grew a little bit smaller. "You still think that there's someone behind his disappearance?" he inquired. Reborn nodded. "I believe it's related to his memory loss." He said as Leon glowed and shifted to a large blow dryer that silently hummed as Reborn used it to dry his clothes.

Yamamoto blinked in surprise before he laughed. "Neat! Can I use Leon too?" he asked as Reborn's clothes started to dry. Reborn paused for a second. "No." The hitman answered and Leon shifted back into its original form and quickly hid inside his suit just as Tsuna came out of the room wearing a green shirt and jeans, a towel over his shoulders and a set of clothes and extra towels in hand.

"Sorry for the wait, I had to look for some clothes you can change into while drying your clothes..." Tsuna slowed before stopping in front of the two men, staring at Reborn. "...How come your clothes are dry?" he asked, blinking curiously at the fedora wearing man.

Reborn merely stared back. "My clothes are made from special fibres. It quickly adapts to the change in temperature and dries very fast, so there's no need for the change of clothes." He answered smoothly.

Tsuna stared as he heard the man's answer before eyeing the man's clothes rather suspiciously. "Right..." he mumbled before slowly turning to Yamamoto, who was still soaked. "Uh, I tried to look for some clothes that were big enough. If they don't fit, tell me." He said as he handed the towel and clothes to Yamamoto who gratefully accepted it. "Haha! Thanks, Tsuna!" he said cheerfully, making Tsuna smile in return.

"You can change in the bathroom. It's that door over there." he pointed to the door next to the one he entered. "Okay." Yamamoto said and he took of his shoes and headed straight to the bathroom.

A short moment of silence fell the moment Yamamoto closed the bathroom door and Tsuna turned back to Reborn who was still staring at him. "Well, since you're already dry, make yourself at home. I'll just go make some tea." He said and was about to head to the kitchen before pausing mid-step. "You're okay with tea right? I don't have any coffee." He asked, wondering if Reborn didn't like tea.

"Tea's fine." Reborn answered and Tsuna nodded in return and continued on to the kitchen to start heating up some water and getting out the tea leaves while Reborn headed over to the dining table at the other side of the kitchen and sat, still looking around the small apartment.

Moments later, the bathroom door opened and Yamamoto came out, drying his hair with the towel. "I hung my clothes on the rack, is that okay?" He asked and Tsuna turned to him, inwardly relieved when the clothes he gave Yamamoto seemed to fit the tall man. He had been given those by his neighbour when he had just moved in and hadn't had many clothes yet; although he wasn't able to wear it since it was too big for him and he didn't want to return it since that would seem rude to his neighbour.

"It's fine." He answered as he poured the tea into three cups and brought it to the table while Yamamoto sat beside the fedora wearing man.

After setting the cups down, he sat as well, settling himself on the chair opposite of Reborn and Yamamoto. "Um, so..." he mumbled as he looked at the other two, not really sure how to begin asking his question.

Reborn brought up a hand, silencing the brunette, before he spoke. "Before we start, can I ask a few questions first?" he asked before taking a sip of his tea.

Tsuna nodded. "Okay." He actually felt a little grateful that the man wanted to ask him first since he couldn't seem to make up his mind on which question he wanted an answer to at the moment.

Reborn took a sip of his tea before turning his black orbs to him. "Back at the alley, you mentioned something about figuring out Yamamoto's connection to you. How so?" Reborn asked. Yamamoto turned to him as well, the curiosity evident in his eyes.

Tsuna shifted his eyes from Reborn to Yamamoto, then back to Reborn. "Well," he started. "I didn't really know and it was more of a guess since I only saw it for a short moment." both Reborn and Yamamoto's eyes turned questioning as they heard this but he decided to ignore it for the moment and continue.

"But I had a strong feeling that what Yamamoto had was similar to mine." He said before he grabbed something from his pocket.

Both Reborn and Yamamoto leaned in a little to see what it was that he wanted to show them since the he didn't hint on what it was. After feeling his fingers brush on the smooth texture, he grabbed it and brought up his hand to show them a small, velvet pouch. He pulled the strings open and took out a small object. Yamamoto looked at it before he realized what the brunette was getting at. "Tsuna..."

Tsuna turned to him and saw his expression before he returned his eyes to the object in his hand. It was a ring that had intricate designs of flames and a lion's head on the top side while a beautiful blue stone with an insignia of a large X with the word 'Vongola' written on it lay atop the stone. A smaller, much simpler ring was attached to it through a short chain. "This." Tsuna started as he ran his thumb across the insignia. "I saw the same insignia on Yamamoto's necklace this morning when we were walking towards the cafe." he explained.

Yamamoto smiled when he heard it though it looked a bit sheepish. "Haha! I see. So that's why." He laughed a little scratched his cheek.

Reborn noticed that something still seemed to be inside the small pouch and nodded towards it. "And what's that?" he asked.

Tsuna blinked as he understood Reborn's question. "Oh, this?" he carefully placed the ring with the insignia on the table before he took out another object from the small pouch. "This one was with he first ring when I first opened the pouch." He said as he took out and showed them another ring. Compared to the first one, the second ring was much simpler and didn't have any intricate designs; just a simple band of silver with a clear stone in the middle.

Both Reborn and Yamamoto fell silent when they saw the ring and Tsuna wondered why Yamamoto suddenly looked a little sad while an unreadable expression grew on Reborn's face. he was about to ask what was wrong when Reborn spoke.

"Tsuna." He looked at the fedora wearing man. "Those rings are very important to you. Keep them with you always." Rebrons said rather seriously and although he was wondering about the sudden change in their mood, nodded in reply. "Alright." He said as he picked up the first ring and gazed at it again.

These rings... They were important. He knew that much. And even if Reborn didn't tell him to keep it or had asked to have them he wouldn't let it leave his side. The moment he saw these rings when he woke up, he felt something inside him that urged him to keep them with him at all times. In fact, the connection he felt from the rings was too strong that he knew he would never give them away or let them be taken away. He had actually thought of wearing the first one, since the second one was small and wouldn't fit, but then he felt self-conscious about it and opted to just keep it in his pocket together with the other ring.

A short moment of silence passed and Tsuna wondered why Yamamoto suddenly looked slightly glum while Reborn fell silent. A few more seconds passed and the silence was starting to turn awkward and Tsuna suddenly felt the need to break it so he coughed in his hand. "Um, so... is that what you wanted to ask me?" he asked as he looked up at Reborn. It seemed to work since the moment he asked, Yamamoto blinked and couched into his hand before taking a sip of his tea while Reborn turned to him again.

"No, that's not all." Reborn answered and paused for a second as he met Tsuna's gaze. "How long have you been living here in Namimori?"

Tsuna blinked as he heard the question. "I've been here for as long as I can remember." he answered without a hint of hesitation and in a matter-of-fact way. Yamamoto blinked in surprise at his answer while Reborn maintained the serious expression in his face. "What do you mean?" the fedora wearing man asked back.

"It's what I said. I've been here for as long as I can remember." he paused. "Well, as far as I can remember anyway." He rephrased. "Explain." Reborn demanded and Tsuna lowered his gaze to the cup he held in his hands, feeling the warmth spread to his hands the longer he held it. "The farthest memory I have is waking up here in Namimori." He paused. "Specifically in a forest. When I realized that I couldn't remember anything, I got really scared and started panicking. But then I thought I should find out where I was and tried to calm myself so that I can try to find my way out of the forest. When I finally got out, I ended up in town." He explained, trying not to cringe as he remembered how scared and panicked he was when he woke up in such a place remembering nothing.

"But why were you in Namimori forest?" Yamamoto asked and Tsuna only shrugged in response. "I don't know." Yamamoto's brows furrowed worriedly at this. "Didn't you see anything around you? Anything at all that could be a clue as to what happened to you." Reborn inquired as well. Tsuna paused for a second and looked as if he was in deep thought before he lightly shook his head. "No, nothing."

"What did you do after then?" Yamamoto asked, and Tsuna look at him with a straight face. "Nothing." he answered and Yamamoto's eyes widened. "What do you mean nothing? Didn't you ask for help at the police station or a hospital or something?" Yamamoto asked again.

Tsuna blinked. He was actually expecting that question. "No." He answered rather calmly and this earned him surprised and questioning looks from the two.

"Explain." Reborn demanded, his eyes narrowing as he took another sip of his tea, slightly wondering if he was being to nonchalant about this, before calmly looking back at them.

Two expectant, curious eyes stared back at him. "Tsuna." Reborn called and he inwardly cringed at the man's demanding tone. "I didn't ask for help because I was told not to and that I shouldn't try to find out who I am." He said quietly before he suddenly felt a shiver run up his spine when the stares he got from the two became intensely intimidating.

"Who told you?" Reborn asked; nothing but seriousness in his voice. "And why did you just allow yourself to be told what to do?" Tsuna felt himself unconsciously back away a little at the intense aura he felt from the man. He had expected a reaction similar to this when he decided to tell them all that he knew, but the reaction he was getting from Reborn was actually scaring him. Yamamoto seemed to have noticed this as his leaned back. "Tsuna," he tried again "please tell us." He said a little more softly.

Shoulders drooping, Tsuna leaned back a little in his seat and nodded. "Alright." He paused. "But, well... it's harder to explain with just words, so I'll show you." He said, earning him another round of questioning looks from the two.

Remembering that he left his bag by the door, he stood up and walked over to retrieve his bag. He frowned worriedly as he saw the soaked state of his bag and he dearly hoped that, like his phone, what he was going to show them hadn't gotten wet. It was more prone to being destroyed than his phone after all.

Reborn and Yamamoto watched him from the dining table as he fumbled for something, and he knew they were probably dying to know what 'it' was that he was going to show them. He could literally feel their eyes on him.

"Here we go." Tsuna said a bit cheerfully, happy that what he was looking for hadn't gotten wet as well. He walked back to the table where the two waited and he placed the object on the table.

Yamamoto blinked. "A wallet?" he asked as he saw Tsuna place the wallet on the table while Reborn raised a brow.

Tsuna chuckled as he sat down. "No, not the wallet." He said before he took the wallet again and opened it, looking over its pockets and various contents as he searched for what he wanted to show them.

Pulling out a folded piece of paper from his wallet, Tsuna held it up for the two to see. "This." Reborn and Yamamoto looked at it before turning their attention back to him. "It's a letter." He stated. "...I was holding onto it when I woke up." he explained and a look of recognition passed across his guests faces as they realized what he meant.

"Let us see it." Reborn demanded and Tsuna obliged, handing the small letter to the fedora wearing man and watched as Reborn opened it while Yamamoto scooted closer to see what was written.

He wondered what kind of expression the two men would make when they finally finish reading the letter. When he first read it, he remembered feeling puzzled and shocked as well as a bit angry. But then after reading the letter a few more times, he somehow understood what that person had felt. He still remembered the words clearly as if he had just read them.

_Tsuna,_

_Yes, that's your name, Sawada Tsunayoshi or Tsuna for short._

_You must be afraid right now, not being able to remember_

_anything. For that, I apologize. I had to make you forget_

_everything, I had no other choice. I also know it is cruel to ask _

_you of this right now but I beg you, please do not try to _

_recover your memories. Instead, please try to live a normal _

_and peaceful life. Please do not pursue your former life, if _

_you do, you will only end up getting hurt. It might sound _

_absurd; I know, but please believe when I say that it is for_

_the best; both for you and me. And I know I have asked _

_a lot from you already, but there is one more thing that I _

_wanted to ask of you. The time will come when people who _

_know you will come to find you. If they ever try to ask you _

_to return back with them, please refuse. No matter what, _

_please do not return. There is nothing but pain for you _

_if you come back..._

_Once again I apologize; I know this is incredibly selfish of_

_me and if you ever end up hating me I understand._

_But please keep in mind that I only did this so that I_

_could protect you._

_I pray you stay safe._

_Take care,_

_Sawada Tsunayoshi_

Tsuna quietly waited as he watched both Reborn and Yamamoto's expressions turn from curious and serious to shocked and disbelieving.

"What..." Yamamoto breathe out as he stared at the letter. "What is the meaning of this?" he turned questioning eyes to Tsuna. Reborn fell silent, the seriousness in his face never leaving. "You mean to tell us that the person who told you to stop searching for your identity is yourself?" he asked in a quiet tone.

Tsuna lowered his eyes to his tea, a solemn look on his face. "I believe so. After all," he turned his eyes towards the letter. "he did say that he made me forget everything." He answered referring to his former self as 'he' instead of 'I'. "But, why? How?" Yamamoto started, confusion evident in his eyes. "How could you make yourself lose your memories? And why?"

A wry smile fell on Tsuna's lips as he took the letter back from Reborn. "I was actually hoping that you could tell me that." He said as he stared back at the letter. "He sounded so pained; so desperate." He mumbled quietly as he carefully folded the letter back and held it in his hands. "It was as if forgetting everything was the only chance of... escaping." He finished before looking up to them. "What happened to me before?" he asked "Why did I sound so pained? Why did I end up wanting to forget?"

Yamamoto looked down at his own cup of tea, a sliver of guilt could be seen on his amber eyes while Reborn's eyes remained steady and unreadable as he looked up from his fedora. "We don't know." He answered.

Tsuna looked questioningly at him before his attention shifted to Yamamoto who looked up at him. "We were actually also hoping to find out from you. You see, it's been a little over a year now since you disappeared and we had no idea why." He explained and this time it was Tsuna's turn to look shocked.

"A year... I've been gone for a year..." he mumbled as he stared back at Yamamoto. "We've tried to search for you everywhere and considered every single possibility of what could have happened to you but we found nothing; not even a trace." Yamamoto continued. "That's why we were so happy to finally see you again." He said, a small smile appearing on his face as he looked at Tsuna.

"But..." Tsuna frowned. "We still don't know what happened though." He said and Yamamoto laughed. "Haha! That's okay! What's important is that we finally know that you're still alive and safe!" he exclaimed happily. "We'll just find another way to find out the truth."

Tsuna smiled at Yamamoto's words and he felt warmth growing inside him. Yamamoto was right, even if they still didn't have a clue, at least now they knew he was alive and he now knew that there were people who treasure him and care about him even though he had no idea of who he was. He blinked. Speaking of his identitiy...

He turned his eyes back to the letter he still held in his hands, remembering the pleas of his former self to forget about finding out who he was and to never return with the people who knew him and all of a sudden he felt conflicted. He chewed his lip; not sure on what to decide on as he kept his eyes on the letter. "Tsuna?" he heard Yamamoto call, probably noticing the troubled expression on his face but he ignored it for the moment.

He trusted what the his former self had told him, even if there was barely any hint of what happened to him before however, he also felt the desire to know the truth grow inside him again now that he'd found the people mentioned in the letter.

His thoughts then turned to the recent happenings that occurred to him in the past few days and realized how much trouble he must've cost Yamamoto and Reborn and how they risked their own lives to protect him.

His hands closed into fists and the conflicted feelings he had suddenly vanished. He looked at Reborn and Yamamoto, a serious expression on his face. "Reborn." he called. "Please tell me everything you know about me."

Reborn stared at him, black orbs maintaining that unreadable expression he's had since he'd read the letter. "You're not going to follow what you wrote on the letter?" he asked, though it lacked the tone a usual question would entail.

"I don't know." He answered. "Although I feel that this letter holds a part of the truth as to why I lost my memories, I also feel that I need to know more about myself." He explained.

"And the part about returning with us?" Reborn asked back without missing a heartbeat.

He stared back at the man, his determination growing inside him. "I will make my decision after I hear everything." He answered and silently apologized to his former self. It wasn't that he didn't want to believe in his words or that he'd decided to look over his warnings and effort to protect himself, but he needed to know the truth. He knew that he had too.

Reborn smirked as he heard his answer and he tilted his fedora a little upwards. "Very well." He said as he leaned back into his seat while Yamamoto had his usual cheerful smile back on his face.

"Then we'll begin. What do you want to know?"

Tsuna paused for a moment as he thought about what he wanted to ask first. There were so many, but he knew he didn't have to rush because unlike earlier at the alley, they didn't have to run away from the people that were after him.

He blinked. Speaking of the people after him...

"Those men at the alley..." he started. " Before they started to shoot, they called me Vongola Decimo. Why?" he asked.

"Vongola Decimo is the title you are known by." Reborn answered a second later while Yamamoto drank his tea and he guessed from their actions that Rebornw as the one who was going to do most of the explaining.

He raised a brow in question. "Title?" Reborn's smirk returned. "Yes. You see, you are the tenth heir and the current head of the Vongola Group of Companies, the largest company in Italy and the most influential in the world." He said in an almost nonchalant manner before he too, took a sip of his tea.

Tsuna blinked.

And blinked again.

"HHIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!"

He was so surprised and shocked at what he heard that he unintentionally flailed and knocked over his cup, spilling its contents on to the wooden surface and he shrieked and spluttered more. "I'M WHAT!" his voice reached a higher pitch than he ever thought it would as he seemed to freeze in place for a few seconds before quickly standing and heading over to the sink where a washcloth was conveniently placed.

"The tenth heir and current head of Vongola." Reborn repeated and placed his cup down on the table.

An incredulous look plastered itself on Tsuna's face as he stared at Reborn. "You're not kidding, are you..." he mumbled. Yamamoto laughed. "Nope! You're our boss!" he cheerfully said and Tsuna turned from Reborn to him and started staring again.

"Wait, wait a minute." He waved his hands, making the washcloth flutter with the force. "You said I'm your friend, and now I'm your boss? Who are you guys really?" he asked; a bit exasperated. "Please explain." He said as he finished wiping the table and placed the washcloth back on the sink and sat back in his seat.

"Well, it's pretty complicated." Yamamoto laughed, scratching his cheek while Tsuna took a new cup and poured himself some more tea.

He turned to Reborn who sighed. "Before I explain, let me give you a short background on Vongola." He started. "Vongola is the largest group of companies in Italy that specializes in various fields such as medicine and technology. It started as a small group four hundred years ago by a man named Giotto or more commonly called as Vongola Primo." He paused and turned to Tsuna. "He's also your great, great, great, great, grandfather."

Tsuna choked on the tea he was currently sipping before Reborn mentioned the last part. Being the heir of the largest group of companies in Italy was already surprising enough, finding out that he was related to such a man was enough to shock him for a day. He didn't even know he had Italian blood in him.

"Anyway," Reborn continued, seeing that Tsuna wouldn't be able to react any more than that. "To cut the long story short, the company excelled in their chosen field and continued to grow as time passed until it has become what it is today. And you have inherited the right to head over the company, and have been in charge for eight years now, although you were officially made the head ten years ago." He explained and watched as Tsuna seemed to have completely frozen over in shock.

"Tsuna?" Yamamoto leaned a bit closer as he called out and that seemed to have snapped Tsuna out his thoughts. "W-Wait! I-If I was made the h-head of the company ten years ago... t-then that means I was somewhere back in middle school! That's impossible! I was too young!" he reasoned out, flailing his arms a little.

"Nothing is impossible for the Vongola." Reborn smoothly countered. "Besides, the ninth didn't just let you take over all of a sudden. He sent me here to Japan ten years ago to train and prepare you for becoming Vongola Decimo. And of course, I take my obligations seriously even if it meant tutoring a scrawny, brainless idiot like you." He elaborated.

Tsuna guffawed. "You? My tutor?" he repeated incredulously as he managed to not choke on air this time. Okay. He somehow knew that Reborn was connected to him in some way, but his tutor? Tsuna stared at the man sitting in front of him. He can't be serious.

"Oh, I am serious, dame-Tsuna." Reborn lightly commented, making Tsuna jump a little in his seat. "What- How-" he sputtered as he watched the man sip the last of his tea. Did he just read his mind?

"Of course. A teacher must always know everything about his student. Even what he's thinking." The fedora wearing man answered as he placed his cup back on the table. For a moment Tsuna thought he saw an amused glint on the man's eyes but it disappeared even before he got a closer look. "Anyway, enough about me, what else do you want to know?" he asked.

Tsuna fell silent for a moment, thinking of what else he wanted to know before he turned to Yamamoto. "You said you also work for Vongola, was that where we met?"

Yamamoto smiled. "No, like Reborn, we met ten years ago, back in middle school." He answered before his smile turned to a grin. "But it was after you've met Reborn." he blinked for a second and looked like he just remembered something. "Oh! And Gokudera too! Haha!" he laughed while scratching the back of his neck.

Tsuna held his hands up. "Wait a minute! You mean Gokudera's in Vongola as well?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice. He had almost forgotten about the silver haired man after going through the whole running-around-the-town fiasco earlier and was clearly surprised at hearing that Gokudera also knew him.

Yamamoto nodded. "Yup! He was transferred to our school ten years ago as our classmate and we've been hanging around ever since." He explained. "He's also currently the one taking charge of Vongola since you disappeared." Reborn said and Tsuna whipped his head to him. "...What?" he asked.

Reborn stared back. "He's position in Vongola is second highest to you, so when you disappeared he took charge so that Vongola could continue running smoothly." He explained.

"B-But he said yesterday... nevermind." Was the only thing Tsuna managed to mumble before he ran a hand through his still wet hair. He never thought that Gokudera was also together tith Yamamoto and Reborn? then again, now that he thought about it, the way Gokudera seemed to follow him around and brighten up at the praises and 'thank you's directed to him seemed to point to the obvious truth now.

He inwardly groaned and ran his hand through his hair again. Honestly, he wanted to know more about himself and these people who knew him. But maybe demanding to know everything and receiving answers in such a short time wasn't so good. There were too many information going around his head and he was starting to feel a little lightheaded.

Yamamoto must have noticed this because his smile suddenly had a tinge of worry in it. "Are you okay Tsuna?" he asked, leaning a little on the table as he looked at him.

He waved a hand. "I'm fine." He said a little too quickly. "Just a little tired." He decided to add before he let out a sigh. Yamamoto's smile returned to its cheerful one but the worry was still there. "Oh, then maybe you should rest. You've been out in the rain for quite a while after all. You might catch a cold!" He said and Tsuna looked up at him. "But..."

"Dame-Tsuna, don't rush. We can always continue later on." Reborn cut him off and Tsuna semi-glared at hearing the nickname again.

He stared at the fedora wearing man for a few seconds, trying not to pout in disappointment as he nodded his head. "Alright." He still had so much more to ask them, so many things he still wanted to know.

But now that they mentioned it, he was feeling rather tired and felt a little lightheaded. Maybe some sleep would do him some good. "We'll continue tomorrow." He answered and Yamamoto smiled. "Okay." Yamamoto glanced back at the bathroom then back to him. "Then, I'll just get my clothes from the bathroom. Dad would ask for it when I come back." He said before standing up and headed to the bathroom.

Once Yamamoto had entered the bathroom, silence fell in the dining area and Tsuna leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes, feeling the beginnings of sleep calling out to him.

"Tsuna."

He opened his eyes and looked back to Reborn only to see an outstretched hand from the other. "Give me your phone." Reborn demanded. Tsuna blinked as he stared at the hand. "What?" he asked and tried to glare when he heard a muttered 'dame-Tsuna' from the man. "I said give me your phone dame-Tsuna." Reborn repeated and Tsuna blinked again. "Why?"

Reborn stared blankly at him. "You really are dame." He stated "I'm going to give you my number so that you can give us a call whenever you get in trouble." Reborn said and Tsuna 'oh'd in understanding before he grinned sheepishly and took out his phone and handed it over to the fedora wearing man.

"Um..." Tsuna mumbled as he rested his arms on the table and leaned closer as he listened to the silent clicking of his phone.

"What is it?" Reborn asked, not looking up as he continued to type on the phone.

"Can I ask one last question?"

Reborn gave him a quick glance before returning his eyes to the phone. "Alright."

Tsuna stared for a second. "Where's my family?"He asked and he saw the split millisecond that Reborn's fingers stopped mid-typing before it continued and he vaguely wondered if he was over-imagining things. "Your grandfather, Timoteo, was the ninth head of the company. However, he was not a direct descendant of Primo." He answered as he finished and gave the phone back to Tsuna.

"And your father, Iemitsu, is the current head of the largest sister company of Vongola." He continued just as Yamamoto emerged from the bathroom carrying the bag he used for deliveries and Tsuna wondered why he hadn't noticed it before when Yamamoto and Reborn rescued him in the alley.

Yamamoto stepped closer to them and Reborn stood up from his seat, making Tsuna stand as well. Yamamoto grinned. "Well, we'll be going now. Make sure you get some rest, okay Tsuna?" he said as both he and Reborn turned towards the door.

"Wait!"

Reborn and Yamamoto stopped walking and looked back; Yamamoto already halfway out the door while Reborn stood at the genkan. "What is it?" Yamamoto asked.

Tsuna looked back at Yamamoto before he turned his eyes on Reborn. "What about my mother? Is she working at Vongola too?" he asked as he stood a few steps away from Reborn.

Reborn stared back; dark orbs locking with chocolate brown. "No." He answered. "She's not affiliated with Vongola and lived as a normal housewife."

Tsuna blinked. "Oh, I see..." he paused. "Thank you for telling me and... I'll see you in the cafe tomorrow?" he asked.

"Of course." Reborn answered before he turned back and both he and Yamamoto stepped out of the apartment. "See you tomorrow, Tsuna!" Yamamoto waved and Tsuna managed to give a small wave back before the door closed.

Silence engulfed his apartment the while he stood there for a few seconds, his mind lost in thoughts while he stared at the door. There were so many things that he had to think about. The letter, the rings, Vongola Reborn and the others, even his family; and yet he knew that all that they had talked about was still just the tip of the iceberg.

A few more seconds passed and he turned to look at the clock that hung on the wall.

Five minutes past three o'clock.

"Too early for dinner..." he mumbled quietly to himself before he shrugged a second later and headed to his bedroom.

"I guess I'll just go to sleep then."

* * *

Author's Notes:

You guys probably weren't expecting that were you? Tsuna erasing his own memories. Lol Darn, I'm getting excited the more I think about writing the following chapters. Gah! I have to restrain myself! I need sleep first. Waking up early in the morning is a challenge!

And kudos to Phantom Hitman 1412 for guessing that the object Tsuna had in his pocket was Natsu! For that, I give you a cookie. :)

Anyway, if there are any mistakes in the grammar, spelling or tensing and phrasing please tell me. I'm not able to proofread this as well as I did the others since I'm sleepy and my mind's grammar checker isn't cooperating right now.

Hope you guys liked this chapter! I'd like to hear what you think so you guys... please review! They're greatly appreciated :))


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Notes:

Apologies for not updating last week. I have a tendency to go gung-ho at work so when I come home I'm always tired and couldn't stay in the laptop for too long.

Anyway, here's the new chapter!

To **Guest**, thank you for reading as well!

To **SioQu**, I'm guessing your the guest that reviewed about having guessed that Tsuna erased his own memories? And, theories! You have no idea how much I love reading throuries about an anime or manga series and if you wouldn't mind, I'd love to hear your own theories about this story of mine. :)

To **long live marshmallows**, Your review made me smile so much I had to cover it with my hand because I was reading reviews while I was at work. And as for the Vongola = company thing, well, I think it seems plausible enough since a famiglia as big as Vongola should at least have a front. And don't worry, no more bad-guys-chasing-Tsuna scenes for a while. They're quite tiring to write since I'm not good at writing action scenes. XD

To **BloodyDarkNaruto**, I'm glad I was able to explain it to you. And, now that I think of it, it is kinda funny how none of those men after Tsuna could trace where he lives. XD But It's all part of the plot dear, all part of the plot~ And as for your guess, well, you'll have to read to find out~

To **Guest**, Hmmm, good observation there. But are you sure your guess is right~?

To **snitchygirl**, thank you! And as for the second right, you'll have to guess~

To **DiamondGoddes**, Thank you! I'm glad you like the mysterious parts. I try my best to write it as best as I can to make it have the right mood and flow.

* * *

Chapter 14

Gokudera could only stare at the large screen that occupied majority of the wall opposite of him as his mind processed the words he had just heard and felt his eye twitch.

"...Gokudera?"

The serious yet still cheerful voice of Yamamoto came through the speakers as both he and Reborn stared at him from the large screen as did everyone else.

"Is he okay?"

"He looks a bit pale."

"I think he's in shock."

"Maybe he extremely didn't hear what Yamamoto said."

"Herbivore."

"Kufufu... Is the puppy too shocked to say anything?"

He felt his eye twitch again as he heard the irritating voice of the male Mist Guardian. Damn right he was shocked, but he wouldn't say it out loud lest the pineapple head would think that he was agreeing with him... which he was but he wouldn't admit it and instead settled for glaring at the man.

The Mist Guardian had arrived back from his mission a couple of hours after their private meeting with Uni, Dino and Enma and had been informed by Chrome and Ryouhei about what had been discussed.

Hibari had also returned looking less pissed and had _reluctantly_ taken some of the paperwork off Gokudera's shoulders and didn't come out of his office until they had to meet back in the meeting room to meet with Reborn and Yamamoto.

And, as always, the meeting began with playful taunts from Mukuro and hissed threats from Hibari while Ryouhei tried to pacify them using his 'extreme' ways and ended up worsening the situation. And that, unfortunately left him no choice but to intervene and threaten to make them do _all_ of the paperwork, as well as the ones they'd create if they started to fight, if they didn't shut up.

Suffice to say, it worked. The three men promptly shut their mouths, sat down and settled into glaring at one another. Well, in Hibari and Mukuro's case anyway.

After that, the meeting went on smoothly as he explained to Reborn and Yamamoto what happened to the meeting with the allied famiglias; their growing concern about Tsuna's absence, the random attacks from a small unknown group and the rumoured alliance against Vongola.

Of course, he also explained Dino's suspicion about the connection between the anonymous informant and the alliance as well as it's possible connection to Uni's vision and he was slightly relieved to know that Reborn had agreed that it was plausible and that accepting Dino's offer to help was a wise choice.

Then after that, they had inquired about Tsuna and it went downhill from there.

Gokudera ran a hand through his hair as he let out a sigh. He was definitely not expecting the report that Yamamoto gave him, much less the fact that their cover was blown, although not completely but still...

The sound of a cough broke him out of his thoughts and he instinctively turned his eyes to the source of the sound and landed on Yamamoto and he glared. "So..." he started as he crossed his arms in an attempt to calm himself down. "let me get this straight." He paused for effect. "You said that Jyuudaime got chased around by those idiotic men, right?" he watched as Yamamoto gave a nod in confirmation to his statement.

"And that Jyuudaime ended up getting cornered into an alley and that you had to get involved in the chase to protect him."

A nod.

"As a result, Jyuudaime had seen you fighting and you were left with no choice but to reveal who you are and now Jyuudaime knows about us."

Another nod.

Gokudera felt his eye twitch again before he finally exploded. "I LEAVE FOR A DAY AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS!" he yells before standing up. "That's it! I'm going back there right now!" he exclaimed and was about to turn to the door when he felt hands grab him in the arms and shoulder.

"W-Wait! Gokudera-nii calm down!"

"The meeting's extremely not done yet!"

He turned his head to look back at the two. "The hell I'm calming down! Jyuudaime nearly got killed!" he shouted as hetried to shrug them off."Let me go!"

"Now now, why don't you calm down Gokudera? Tsuna's fine and back in his apartment so don't worry." Yamamoto piped up, raising his hands in a calming manner. Gokudera snarled. "Jyuudaime got into that situation because you weren't watching him properly!" he retorted, making Yamamoto blink in surprise and his smile faltered.

The rest of the occupants fell silent as they watched the right hand man fume and vent his anger before a voice decided to break the silver haired man's temper down. "We already told you, there was a sudden increase in their number, Gokudera. No one's at fault." Reborn spoke from where he sat as his dark eyes peeked from his black fedora and locked into Gokudera's. "Tsuna's fine."

Gokudera stopped and averted his eyes as he gestured for Ryouhei and Lambo to let him go, to which they complied, and he sat back down in his seat.

What Reborn said was true. From what they reported, the usual number of people after Tsuna almost doubled and without him to constantly snipe them out, it certainly became harder to get rid of all of them. He also knew it wasn't Yamamoto's fault since he couldn't exactly scan the area and get rid of those men while protecting Tsuna at the same time. He knew that. He was just... worried. But then, weren't they all?

He let out a sigh. "You're right. Sorry for exploding like that." He said as he ran a hand through his hair.

Yamamoto smiled. "It's okay. Besides, we haven't told him anything about the mafia yet. Just the usual cover up." he said and Gokudera felt himself relax a little. It had been agreed upon by everyone once they decided to follow through Reborn's plan that Vongola would be introduced as company instead of the usual 'largest mafia famiglia in the world' kind of introduction. It was the usual cover up they used in situations where people not affiliated with the mafia are involved.

It was also favourable for them since the cover up was partly true so that it Tsuna's hyper intuition were ever to act up, it wouldn't count that cover as a lie since Vongola did own several companies throughout the world.

Calming himself down, Gokudera ran a hand through his hair "Alright. Anyway, what happened after that?" he asked as he tried to stomp down on the urge to light a cigarette. He hadn't felt this stressed for a long time now and the thought of a cigarette was quite tempting even if he hadn't smoked for over two years.

Yamamoto's smile returned, though the cheerfulness seemed lacking because of the serious look in his eyes. "I think it'd be better if Reborn was the one that explained that." The swordsman said as he turned slightly to Reborn.

All eyes turned to Reborn as soon as Yamamoto finished talking and the hitman raised his fedora a little higher to meet their gazes.

"What... What happened after, Reborn-san?" Chrome leaned a little bit forward in her seat as she asked; her quiet voice tinged with both curiosity and anxiety.

Reborn turned to the lone female Guardian for a second before turning his gaze on all of them. "We decided to move into his apartment where we were sure that none of the enemies would be able to find us since the Mist Camouflage that Gianini and Spanner created would disable the enemies from tracking us." He explained.

Lambo blinked at that. "Oh, right. You guys took some of those with you when you went there." he commented. "I almost forgot about those." Gokudera glanced at the teen for a second as he too, almost forgot; in all the stress and chaos he was handling, about that device that the Vongola mechanics invented a couple of years ago.

The Mist Camouflage was a small device created to allow non-Mist flame users to conjure an illusion when going to missions that require concealment purposes. It functions by storing Mist flames inside a special storage unit, similar to the ones Shouichi created for Choice back in the future and in the Arcobaleno Representative Battle, and can produce illusions via a programming system created by Gianini.

When activated, it emits the stored Mist flames in small amounts for continuous periods of time and slowly but completely envelopes a specific area within an illusion; disabling enemies in finding their targets even when they're using trackers and homing devices.

Gokudera had to admit. It was quite a unique piece of technology.

"That's right." Yamamoto nodded. "We installed several MC devices in specific areas around Tsuna's apartment so that even if people started to go after him, they wouldn't be able to trace where he lived no matter what." He explained.

"Anyway," Reborn continued. "we went to his apartment to continue our discussion and that's when he explained to us what happened to him." he paused as everyone's attention, even Mukuro and Hibari's, remained on him. Gokudera felt himself hold his breath as he waited for Reborn to continue.

"He doesn't know anything."

He blinked.

"What?" he blurted out and mirrored the curious and surprised looks from the others. "What do you mean Jyuudaime doesn't know?" he asked the hitman as he leaned forward on the table.

"Elaborate." Hibari said as he too, looked at Reborn with questioning eyes.

"Yes, do explain it to us." Mukuro spoke, a curious smile on his face.

"It's as I said." Reborn started. "Tsuna doesn't know." He paused. "He has no idea of what happened to him or who he is." He answered and Gokudera's brows furrowed as he frowned. "Not a single thing?" he asked and received a small nod from the hitman.

"What about when he woke up?" Lambo piped up before a curious expression crossed his face. "Wait, where was he before he came to Namimori?" the teen asked again and Gokudera turned to him before returning his eyes to Reborn, urging the hitman to continue.

Reborn nodded. "We asked Tsuna about that and he said that he had been in Namimori for as long as he could remember." A few gasps of surprise were heard in the meeting room but no one spoke and Reborn continued. "He said that he woke up inside Namimori forest with nothing but a small pouch that held his Vongola Gear and a small letter."

Gokudera raised a brow. "A letter?" Reborn turned to him and nodded. "That's right. Apparently, what Tsuna told you before when you asked him about getting help with his memory loss wasn't exactly the whole truth."

Gokudera stilled when he heard that. He remembered the conversation he had with Tsuna back in the storage room in the bookstore they worked at where Tsuna told him about why he didn't get help for his memory loss and all of a sudden he felt a little hurt. "What do you mean, Reborn-san?" He asked urgently. Jyuudaime couldn't have lied to him, had he?

"Don't worry, Tsuna didn't lie to you." Reborn said and although relieved, Gokudera slightly wondered if the hitman had read his mind. "He had said that he didn't intend on regaining his memories, but his reason had depended on the letter that was with him when he woke up." Reborn explained.

Hibari raised a brow. "You mean to tell us that Tsunayoshi had no intention of regaining his memories?"

"I extremely don't understand!" Ryouhei exclaimed while Chrome and Lambo nodded in agreement.

"Care to elaborate on that?" Mukuro asked as he stared at Reborn.

Reborn stared back, his black orbs meeting mismatched ones. "Gokudera had spoken with Tsuna before about his memory loss and said that despite wanting to know about himself, it wasn't his first priority. However..." he paused. "...when we talked about it again, he admitted that he initially intended on finding out who he was but decided against it because of what he read in that letter." he explained.

"And what does the letter say?" Mukuro asked, slightly tilting his head to the side. "Moreover, who was it from?" he added as mismatched eyes remained on the hitman. Reborn returned the stare but remained silent.

Gokudera frowned. Something was wrong. He could tell with the way Yamamoto had remained silent with that serious expression on his face and the calculative look that seemed to flicker in Reborn's eyes every now and then.

"Reborn-san." He called and the hitman let out a small sigh. "The letter that Tsuna showed us..." he started. "...doesn't necessarily explain what had happened to Tsuna. Rather, it revealed to us just who it was that caused Tsuna's memory loss." Reborn explained.

Several gasps of surprises were heard in the room before Gokduera managed to ask. "Who?" he leaned over the table a little as he demanded an answer from the hitman.

An unreadable expression covered Reborn's eyes as he met Gokudera's questioning eyes.

"It was Tsuna."

It took a couple of seconds before the hitman's words sunk in and green eyes widened in shock as Gokudera felt himself lean back in his chair. "W-What?" he stuttered as his mind processed what Reborn just said. "You mean to tell us that Jyuudaime..." he stared at both Reborn and Yamamoto in disbelief.

"The letter was from Tsuna, himself." Yamamoto spoke as he lowered his head a little to stare at his hands.

Silence fell before them as Yamamoto's words rang throughout the meeting room.

"You mean to tell us that Tsunayoshi decided to erase his memories?" Hibari, who remained silent during most of the meeting; spoke, his eyes narrowing as he turned to Reborn.

"That's correct." The hitman answered. "Why?" the Cloud Guardian asked back, eyes never leaving Reborn's. "We don't know." He answered. "The only thing that the letter stated was that he had erased his memories because it was the only way to protect him." Reborn elaborated.

Gokudera's brows furrowed. "Protect him? From what?" he asked.

This time it was Yamamoto who answered. "We don't know either." He said. "It was never stated in the letter." He added and Reborn crossed his arms. "What's more, it was also stated in the letter that Tsuna shouldn't try to find out who he was and that, should we come looking for him, refuse to come back."

All eyes turned to Reborn as soon as he said this.

"...But why?" Chrome asked from her seat beside Mukuro. "Why would Boss do that?" she asked as her one eye reflected the confusion and bewilderment that everyone felt at the moment.

"This is extremely confusing." Ryouhei commented as, for once, a look of complete seriousness crossed his features. "Why would Sawada do such a thing? What was he thinking?" he wondered aloud and Gokudera could only grit his teeth in frustration.

Why?

That was the question they were all thinking. Why would Tsuna want to erase his own memories? Why would he do this knowing that it would put him at risk? Reborn mentioned that the letter said that it was to protect him. But from what? Or who? And if ever that Tsuna was in some kind of trouble, why didn't he ask them for help instead? They were his friends, his Guardians, his famiglia. If something was wrong, they should be the first ones he'd ask for help. So why didn't he tell them anything?

His hands turned to fists as thoughts crossed his mind.

Was Tsuna planning to do something? Just like what he did back when they were sent to the future? Was there something going on that only Tsuna knew and decided to handle it all by himself just like what happened with the Millefiore? Was he doing this to protect them all again?

"Are you completely sure that the letter was from Sawada Tsunayoshi himself?"

Gokduera looked up, not realizing that he had lowered his head in thought, and turned to look at Mukuro who was looking at Reborn. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Mukuro turned to him. "Though it may sound a bit far-fetched, it is possible that the letter was merely written to look like it came from Tsunayoshi himself, but was actually written by someone else." He explained before turning once more to the former Arcobaleno. "Well?"

"No." Reborn answered. "I've examined the letter well, and although what you said is possible, I have no doubt that the handwriting belongs to Tsuna." Mukuro stared at the hitman before a smirk crept up his face. "But you're thinking that something else is possible, are you?" he asked and Gokudera raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"

Reborn stared back at the illusionist, the beginnings of a smirk forming on his lips. "Then I believe you are also thinking of that possibility?" he asked and Mukuro chuckled. "I suppose."

"What are you extremely talking about? I don't extremely get what is possible!" Ryouhei exclaimed, confusion clearly reflected in his features as both Chrome and Lambo looked turned their eyes from the screen to the boxer and to the illusionist with confusion while Yamamoto scratched his head and Hibari stared at them and let out a yawn.

"Can you guys at least explain so that we can understand what you're both talking about?" Gokudera demanded as he felt his eye twitch in annoyance. It was one thing to know that Reborn was suspecting something since he's Reborn, but to have Mukuro know something that seemed to be related to the hitman's, was annoying him for reasons he'd rather not elaborate.

"Kufufu, there's no need to look so agitated." Mukuro chuckled, further annoying him, before turning serious. "It's possible that the letter may be written by Tsunayoshi, but that it was not necessarily him who wrote it himself." the illusionist cryptically explained and Gokudera blinked before frowning in confusion. "What?" he asked, not caring if he sounded like an idiot at the moment.

"He's saying that it's possible that Tsuna was made to write that letter to make it look like the words written there were coming from him." Reborn explained.

"But how?" Lambo asked, scratching his head.

"Oh..."

All eyes turned to Chrome who had a half surprised, half understanding look in her one eye. "What's wrong?" Ryouhei asked and Chrome blinked before fidgeting a little as she realized that everyone's attention was focused on her. "U-Um..."

Mukuro chuckled and gently patted Chrome on the head. "Kufufu, it seems my dear Chrome has figured it out." he mused, making the other occupants of the room, as well as Yamamoto, turn to them in confusion.

"And what exactly has she figured out?" Hibrai spoke, hissing slightly and Gokudera knew at that moment that the skylark was already nearing the end of his patience. He glared at Mukuro, silently demanding to stop delaying and start explaining.

The male illusionist seemed to understand as his playful smirk disappeared and he sighed. "What we're talking about is illusions." He answered. "I'm sure you're all already aware of what illusions can do. It's possible to be able to control someone into doing something by winding them in an illusion. That's what you were thinking, right?" he explained, turning to Reborn as he said the last part.

Reborn nodded.

A thoughtful expression crept up Yamamoto's face and he hummed. "So you're saying that Tsuna could have been controlled by someone and that he did erase his memories on purpose?" Yamamoto inquired; eyes sharp with seriousness.

"Is that really possible? What if the person was already trained in seeing through illusions?" Gokudera turned to the two Mist Guardians. The assumption that Tsuna could have been under control with the use of illusions before he had written the letter and erased his memories seemed plausible enough.

However, they all knew that Tsuna had become strong enough to fight against illusions even without relying on his Hyper Intuition. He was even able to win against Mukuro's tricks several times before.

"It's possible." Chrome answered.

"However, for someone like Tsunayoshi-kun to be wrapped and fully controlled by an illusion... this person should be quite skilled and powerful, whoever he is." Mukuro added.

"That is, if our assumption is correct." Reborn intervened, returning everyone's attention to him. "However, we still don't have enough evidence to prove that at the moment. So we'll have to continue our investigation here." He said as he turned to the others. "In the mean time, you should do something about that rumoured alliance that was brought up during the meeting."

At the mention of the rumoured alliance, Gokudera ran a hand through his hair. "We've already started an investigation right after the meeting ended. The CEDEF are currently conducting an investigation as we speak as well and Hibari is also conducting a separate investigation with his organization." He reported, glancing at the skylark as said the last part. "Dino has also offered to help us as well since they have the largest information network. He said he'll contact us immediately as soon as he finds something about it." He discussed.

Reborn nodded. "Alright. Are there any more questions?" he asked as he looked from Yamamoto to those who were in the meeting room. After receiving no response, he turned back to Gokudera who gave a curt nod. "Then, we're done for now. We'll meet again if there are any developments from either side." The hitman said and everyone seemed to snap out of the serious disposition that surfaced during the meeting and the tense atmosphere disappeared.

Gokudera slumped in his seat and sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He was tired. Terribly so. And after hearing all of the things they had discussed during this meeting, he didn't think he could do anymore paperwork for the rest of the day.

"Oh, hey, Gokudera."

He looked up at the screen to see Yamamoto, the ever present smile back on his face. "What?" he asked a bit gruffily.

Yamamoto scratched his cheek. "Um... can I talk to you for a bit?" Gokudera raised a brow and Yamamoto added. "Privately."

He blinked and inwardly wondered what the baseball idiot would want to talk about now; and privately at that. "Alright." He answered and leaned back in his seat as he watched everyone else leave the room.

Hibari had been the first to go, followed by Ryouhei and Mukuro who, instead of leaving through the door, disappeared as mist enveloped his body. Chrome and Lambo left soon after, the latter, politely excusing herself while the former lazily waving and muttering something about drinking some grape juice.

After he the door clicked to a close and no more footsteps could be heard, Gokudera turned back to the screen where Yamamoto and, surprisingly, Reborn stayed. "Alright, what did you want to talk about?" he asked.

Yamamoto smiled. "I was actually wondering how long you were going to stay there." he said and Gokudera suddenly felt the urge to smack the swordsman senseless. "You..." his eye twitched. "You made me stay over just to ask me that?" he asked, voice growing low as an annoyed glare made its way to the swordsman's face.

Yamamoto scratched the back of his head. "Haha! No, not really." He answered. "but I was kinda wondering..." he continued to add but stopped when he saw Gokduera's glare directed at him.

Gokduera scowled as his eye twitched again. "I might have to stay for another day since Hibari walked out on the paperwork." He grudgingly said.

"Haha! Okay!"

"Alright, I've answered your question! Now what is it that you wanted to tell me?" Gokudera demanded and the serious expression returned in Yamamoto's eyes and suddenly, Gokudera felt that whatever Yamamoto had asked him to stay and talk for wasn't just some casual chatting.

"Actually, there was something else we didn't tell you guys about Tsuna." Reborn said.

"What?" Gokudera's eyes widened for a couple of seconds before returning back to normal. "Why not?" he asked; feeling a bit incredulous since the two seemed to be holding back information about their boss.

"We decided that it would be better to just let you know about it first since we don't know how the other would react." Yamamoto explained.

Gokudera frowned at this. "What is it?" he asked, his voice turning completely serious as he urged the two to continue. The two exchanged a look before turning back to Gokudera.

"The letter wasn't the only thing that Tsuna had when he woke up."

Gokudera's eyes widened at this. "What do you mean? Are you saying that there was something else that might be a clue why Jyuudaime erased his memories?" he asked, urging for them to continue.

"Maybe." Reborn answered. "We're not exactly sure if this is related or not. But we have to consider everything."

"So, what is it?" Gokduera asked and he felt himself swallow as Reborn's eyes darkened ever so slightly.

"A ring."

* * *

"Things are starting to get interesting."

Calculating eyes peered over the thick hood to meet with amused ones as the hooded figure tilted his head upwards over to the tall figure standing a couple of feet away from the large box the he sat on.

"Hm? I know right?" another voice from behind him spoke cheerily as he suddenly felt something heavy lean against his back and he turned to see nothing but spiky hair. "Vongola's starting to get chaotic, right?" He commented lightly, almost childlike even as the dim light from the laptop he held in his lap casted an eerie glow on his face.

"Not yet." The hooded figure spoke. "At least, not the core famiglia." He added as he turned back to the tall man standing to his right. "Isn't that right?"

The tall man chuckled as he leaned on the wall. "That's right." he answered. "It appears that the Decimo's right-hand is much more capable than I thought." He mused, crossing his arms. "It's quite impressive how he could still manage to hold the famiglia up despite the panic that's slowly creeping up their allies backs."

"I'd have to agree with you on that one." The spiky haired man hummed before turning to the hooded figure again. "What do you think?"

The hooded figure remained silent for a moment before opting to speak. "The right hand man isn't the right hand man for nothing. They must be capable enough to stand as a replacement for their boss in emergency situations, especially for a famiglia like Vongola." He paused and looked as if in thought before a chuckle escaped his lips. "Of course, I expect this much. Bringing that famiglia down will be no easy feat." He said and he felt the man behind him turn so that his head was almost side by side with his.

"But that's what we're here for, right~?"

The spiky haired man whispered, excitement evident in his voice, and the hooded figure tilted his head towards him, eyes dark as a ghost of a smile made its way to his lips.

"Of course."

* * *

_Cold._

_That was the only thing that registered in his mind as he stood on the soft wet ground. Drops of rain fell on his eyes every now and then, making him blink fervently every now and then as he continued to keep his eyes on the simple yet elegant looking grave stone that stood about a foot away from him._

_He had no idea how long he had been standing there, or when it had started to rain and he could only vaguely remember his friends and fellow Guardians stood by his side moments ago, solemn and grim expressions on their faces and Reborn who, for once, actually had his fedora off and stood quietly as he held his fedora to his chest._

_He remembered seeing how Lambo cried hysterically like the child that he was, Fuuta furiously wiping the tears from his eyes as he held the nine year old, and how silent tears ran down I-pin's face as she fiercely held onto Bianchi._

_He also remembered how his father had to be carried away by Basil and Oregano as he continued to break down beside him._

_There were so many people who came earlier; so many people who gave their farewell and so many people who grieved that it made him wonder why out of all the people that came to see her one last time..._

_Why couldn't he grieve with them?_

_Another rain drop fell in his eye and he blinked. His mind went back to that moment when Lambo and I-pin were crying and he couldn't help but feel envious._

_He wanted to cry too._

_He wanted to cry so much it hurt._

_But he couldn't._

_Not in front of her._

_Cold hands clenched into fists as he unconsciously bit the inside of his cheek. No. He wouldn't cry. After all, she never did like being the source of sadness. She wanted everyone to be happy. She wanted everyone to be always smiling._

_He closed his eyes for a few seconds as he felt the familiar pain burn in his chest._

_He told himself he wouldn't cry._

_But he couldn't smile either._

_He stood like that for some time, eyes closed as he stood in front of the grave stone, feeling his heart grow colder and numb with each minutes as the rain continued to fall mercilessly down on him._

"_Tsuna."_

_He heard a voice from behind and ignored the urge to look back at the person who called him. There was no need to. After all, he had known her for years._

"_Tsuna." She called again. "Just for a while longer." his voice came out in a whisper, but he knew she heard him nonetheless. "I want to stay a little longer."_

_He felt her shuffle a little from behind him, taking a step closer so that she now stood a little to his left. "Alright." She said quietly before they both fell into silence._

_A minute passed between them in a somewhat comforting silence before he took a quick glance at her only to realize that she too, was drenched like him and was about to tell her to head back first when she spoke._

"_You don't have to hold back the tears, Tsuna."_

_He stilled for a second before he turned to her, watching silently as she kept her gaze on the grave stone for a few more seconds before eyes bright with unshed tears turned to meet his. "It's okay."_

_He stared into bright eyes, a hint of hesitation and understanding evident in his own brown ones and her eyes softened._

"_Just for today." she whispered. "You don't have to pretend you're strong." _

_He felt his hand flinch as she gently touched it, carefully coaxing his hand to release itself from the death grip it had placed itself in before she gently held his hand and for a moment he stilled as he felt the stinging sensation of tears prickling at the corner of his_

_Warm._

_It was so warm._

"_So, it's okay." She repeated and he faintly noted that her voice was trembling. "It's okay to cry, Tsuna." _

"_She'll understand."_

_He felt something warm flow down from his eyes and for the first time since all of this started, he felt the numbness that had crept up to him dissipate and all of the pent up emotions he had been keeping inside slowly started to leak out._

_Turning his head back to the gravestone in front of him, he stared at it for one last time before lowering his head as his shoulders shook._

_It was okay._

_He didn't have to put up a front._

_He didn't have to pretend that he was strong._

_Just for today, he wasn't going to be a mafia don._

_Just for today, he was just a son grieving for his mother._

_Quiet sobs escaped his lips as the tears continued to flow from his eyes as he was finally able to release the pain he had been keeping inside. "It's okay." He heard her repeat quietly through his cries as she continued to hold his hand, letting the warmth from it seep through his cold ones._

"_It's okay."_

Chocolate brown eyes fluttered open before it closed again as the bright sunlight shone through the thin curtains that covered his window.

Letting out a groan, Tsuna rolled over to lie on his back, draping an arm over his head to cover his eyes from the bright light before lifting up his arm, opened his hand and stared at it.

For some reason, his hand felt oddly warm.

A few seconds of silence passed as he stayed like that, one arm up in the air, palm facing down and blank sleepy eyes staring at it, before he let it fall down beside him in a soft thud and closed his eyes.

"...I missed dinner..." he mumbled sleepily as he recalled yesterday's events.

He had decided to sleep after Reborn and Yamamoto had left his apartment and planned to wake up sometime around dinner time to at least eat before going back to bed. Well... that was the original plan. He hadn't considered the fact that he might end up sleeping like a log and skip eating dinner.

A small frown made its way to his lips. Well, he had to admit, he was rather tired from running all around town yesterday, not to mention in the middle of a rain shower too, so even though he didn't like the fact he skipped dinner, it was kinda alright since he got to sleep, even if he still felt slightly lightheaded and his body still felt heavy. Besides...

He opened his eyes again and turned to the window to his right.

...it didn't seem like it wouldn't rain today.

He then turned towards the small table by the corner where his alarm clock sat and his eyes suddenly turned as wide as saucers as he saw the time.

It was seven forty-nine.

The cafe opened at eight.

"HIIIIEEEEEE!" he screamed as he quickly sat up, ignoring the sudden headache it induced and scrambled to his feet. "Oh no! I'm late! I'm late!" he exclaimed as he quickly folded his futon and placed it inside the closet, grabbed some clothes and ran to the bathroom to freshen up.

He came out a minute later, a toothbrush in his mouth and hair a mess as he quickly buttoned up his shirt close and continued brushing his teeth as he ran around his small apartment grabbing the things he needed and shoving them into his bag.

Taking a quick glance at the clock and quite literally choking as he saw the remaining time, he ran to the sink to quickly rinse his mouth before he grabbed his bag, put on his shoes and swung the door open and ran, his earlier thoughts about the warmth in his hand forgotten as he continued on his way.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I was actually hoping that the mysterious guys' scene would be longer but when I wrote it, it came out that way and I ended up content on the way it came out. Any guesses there on who these guys are? I'm quite curious as to who you guys think they are.

Anyway, long chapter is long and I'm already feeling dead sleepy to add anymore in this AN of mine so I'm cutting it off here.

Hope you guys liked this chapter! Review and let me know what you guys think!

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Notes:

I am really sorry for the very late update. I wasn't able to update because there were so many things happening like that storm the other week (I swear, leaks everywhere... ) and work. I was also feeling a bit down for a few days and couldn't write. Which is why I was only able to finish this now.

Again, so sorry.

To **saphire644**, I think I finally understand what you meant by saying that my writing seemed to make me younger. I tried to make it better but since English is my second language, I don't know if I managed to make it better.

To **SioQu**, nah, it's okay. I like making theories too. They're fun to pass the time with... especially when I'm obsessing over a series X3

To **long live marshmallows**, Yeah, it wouldn't have worked if Nana saw him in town like that. As for the hooded figures, trust me, they know who they're dealing with. They do~ And I'll show you how, but that won't be for a few more chapters. As for the warmth in his hand, it was just from the dream brought to reality. You know you sometimes wake up from a dream feeling like it was real? It was something like that. no one was there.

To **BloodyDarkNaruto**, yes, Mist Camouflage... it was the first thing that came to mind and I haven't bothered to change it. Though if anyone has a good suggestion I might change it.

To **Nariko Cooper**, Thank you! I'm glad you like the suspense and mystery, though I was only aiming for the mystery bit when I originally started this but then it became a bit suspenseful throughout. And I never really noticed the sniper thing until you pointed it out and now every time I remember it, I end up grinning. I'm not really that familiar with names of firearms so I just go with what I know. Though now that you pointed it out, I might have to change that. lol Thanks for reviewing!

To **Taira-keimei**, It's okay, you still reviewed as a guest.

To **animelover.550**, thank you! I'm glad you liked it :)

* * *

Chapter 15

The sunlight shone through the curtain covered windows, casting a light shade of green throughout the apartment. The clock, whose quiet ticking became amplified in the silence, pointed its arms at the numbers eight and two. A few more seconds passed before the sound of footsteps was heard. It ceased as it reached the door and the soft jingle of keys was heard. Shortly after, the door knob turned and the door opened to reveal a brunette.

"I'm home..." Tsuna mumbled as he stumbled into his apartment, took off his shoes and padded towards the dining table where he pulled out a chair and sat on it. He placed his bag on the table in front of him before promptly dropping his head on it and sighed. "I ended up hurrying for nothing..." his voice came out muffled as he grumbled tiredly.

He had been running down the street minutes ago hoping that he'd at least make it to the cafe before eight-thirty when he thought of calling the manager to let say that he was going to be late. But even before he could apologize for being late, the manager had beat him to it by saying that one of the gas pipes in the kitchen broke and gas was leaking in the kitchen, leaving him no choice but to close the cafe for the day to get it fixed.

And, since that was the case, he decided, albeit a bit annoyed since he was still feeling groggy and tired, to just return to his apartment and probably go back to sleep.

A loud, grumbling sound was heard coming from his stomach and he sighed again.

...as soon as he ate some breakfast, of course.

Pushing himself off of the table, he stood up and headed to the fridge and took a couple of eggs and a bowl from the cupboard before putting some bread in the toaster and took out the frying pan. He was still feeling tired because of yesterday and scrambled eggs were the easiest and fastest to make.

He placed a hand over the pan and deciding that it was hot enough, he poured the eggs on it and stirred it with chopsticks to make it fluffy. Minutes later, the smell of scrambled eggs and toasted bread was starting to waft through the air. He then took a plate out and placed the eggs there as well as his toast and a cup of orange juice and sat back on the table and ate his breakfast in silence.

When he was done, he took a glance at the clock on the wall before picking up all the dishes and dumped it in the sink, opting for washing them later before he left for his second job. He then headed to his bedroom, got out his futon and spread it open on the floor before plopping down; letting out a tired sigh as he did so. "So sleepy..." he mumbled against the pillow before closing his eyes.

Minutes passed before he shifted in the futon, deciding that sleeping while lying on his stomach, almost face down on the pillow wasn't that comfortable and turned to lie on his side and closed his eyes once more...

...only to open them again to change in position so that he was now lying on his other side and the pillow was now nestled in his arms in a loose hug while his head lay flat on the futon. He sighed a bit exasperatedly as he once more shut his eyes and tried to catch up on some sleep. However, it seemed that sleep didn't want to come to him and he could slowly feel the tired and heavy feeling in his eyes disappear as minutes pass by.

After what seemed to be an hour of tossing and turning, Tsuna finally gave up trying to sleep and ended up sprawled on the futon; the pillow he had been hugging earlier now lay on the floor, a couple of inches away from his hand and the comforter he hadn't bothered to use and was folded neatly on his side before was now a crumpled heap after being accidentally kicked when he tried to get a better position.

"Well, this is annoying..." Tsuna frown discontentedly as he stared at the ceiling above him. He was still feeling tired but no matter what he did, he couldn't go to sleep and the headache he was hoping to alleviate was starting to make him feel like his head was made of lead.

He turned to the alarm clock that sat on the small table on the other side of the room only to see that only thirty minutes had passed instead of the hour it felt like while trying to sleep and he groaned. He still had three and a half hours before his second job and _he couldn't sleep_.

Deciding that staying in bed and trying to sleep wasn't going to work; he sat up and ran a hand through his hair before standing up and made his way to the bathroom where he kept some pain killers before heading back to the kitchen for a glass of water.

After popping the small pill into his mouth and downing it with some water, he went back to the bedroom to fix up the futon but stopped a couple of steps from the door when he noticed the small velvet pouch lying innocently on top of it. "It must've fell earlier." he thought aloud as he patted his hand on top of his pocket out of habit and walked over to the futon. He crouched down and gently picked the pouch up and let it sit on the palm of his hand.

He stared at it, inspecting, for a moment before he sat down on the floor, opened it and tipped it downwards, letting its contents fall into his hand before placing the empty pouch on futon in front of him. He stared at the rings on his hand before picking up the one with the Vongola insignia and brought it up; the smaller ring connected to it swaying a little as he did so.

"Vongola..." he read as he inspected the blue stone as well as the insignia. "Vongola." He repeated and thought back to the conversation he had with Reborn and Yamamoto yesterday, still eyeing the ring. He lowered his hand down on his lap and leaned back onto the wall behind him, eyes never leaving the ring.

"...Vongola Decimo" he mumbled as he twirled the ring, watching the light that came from the window gleam on it as it spun.

Vongola Decimo. The tenth heir and current head of Vongola. That was who he was, his real identity and the reason why there were people after him.

That was what Reborn said.

He was the heir of Vongola, a direct descendant from the founder, Vongola Primo, and had assumed the position of the head eight years ago. His grandfather had been the former head of Vongola while his father was the head of its sister company.

Tsuna stopped twirling the ring and blinked. "Why wasn't he made the head of Vongola?" he wondered aloud. Reborn had mentioned him being a direct descendant of Vongola Primo. That meant that his father was also eligible for taking the position of Decimo, right? "Why was it passed to me?" he titled his head in question and looked back at the ring. He hadn't asked Reborn about it yesterday since he was too tired and shocked to even think and Reborn didn't explain anything after that either.

"Maybe... a family feud?" he mumbled again as he rubbed his chin in thought.

Maybe his father and grandfather got into a fight or something and resulted to having his right to be heir of the company taken away or something? It was usually like that with rich families, wasn't it? Then again, it could be any other reason why. Maybe it skipped his father's generation? But that wouldn't really make sense.

"Hmm..." His brows furrowed in thought before he lightly shook his head. "I'm probably just thinking too much about it." he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I should just ask Reborn later if I see him." he said to himself before a thought passed his mind.

Now that he thought of it, Vongola was located in Italy. That was what Reborn said. So, why the heck was he in Japan?

"Hmmm, then again, I look more Japanese than Italian." He thought aloud. "Maybe I grew up here." He mumbled as he lowered his eyes back down to the ring in his hand. "But... I disappeared." He paused. "A year ago,I disappeared." He said, a small frown forming on his lips as he thought. "No, I left." He corrected himself, remembering the letter he was holding on to when he woke up in Namimori forest, before confusion showed in his eyes. "But why?"

The question hung in the air as Tsuna wondered what could possible make him leave the life he had. He had a family and friends. And from what he'd deduced from Reborn and Yamamoto, he seemed to be having a good life back in Italy, it being the head of a large group of companies was anything to go by.

So why? Why did he say in the letter that he had no choice but to leave? To erase his memories and say that it was for the better; that he would be safe. What was the point? Why did he choose to go through this instead of living the life he had?

Moreover, why did he say in the letter that it was better for him to just forget about everything? That it was less painful... did something happen to him before? Something that made him want to leave? Something unbearable?

The frown on his face grew bigger and his brows furrowed as the questions flew in his mind. He didn't know. He didn't have an answer for any of these questions. And he didn't know if he will ever find out. All he knew was that he wanted to find out; and that he will decide whether to follow that letter or go back to Italy after he has heard the whole story.

The sound of something falling to the floor brought him out of his thoughts and he looked down to see the other ring on the floor beside his feet. He picked it up, realizing he had been holding it with his other hand for a while now until it slipped and fell to the floor. Curious, he brought it up just like with what he did with the Vongola ring and stared at it.

From the looks of it, it was just a normal ring. There weren't any intricate designs on it or anything aside from a small clear stone. But just like before, he would always have a feeling of attachment to it whenever he saw it.

He twirled it in his fingers, watching for a moment how it gleamed in the light when it turned in the right angle before it fell back into his palm. He then lowered it down to his lap beside his other hand where the Vongola ring was and started at the two rings.

"_Those rings are very important to you. Keep them with you always."_

Reborn's words rang in his head. "They are important to me." He mumbled and he couldn't help but agree. The Vongola ring connected him to who he was and the other, though he didn't know why, felt equally important to him. Even if Reborn hadn't told him to hold on to them, he would have continued to do so simply because he felt that he should.

After all, it was the only things his former self had decided to keep before leaving everything behind. So these rings must be truly important to him for him to do so.

Deciding that he had been sitting there for too long and that his legs were starting to fall asleep if he sat any longer, Tsuna decided to fold up his futon and put it back in the closet, but not before placing the rings back.

So he took both of the rings in one hand while the other reached for the small pouch and was about to return them back inside when an idea struck him.

He stared back at his hand where the rings were at, and, with a curious expression, picked up the Vongola ring before placing the other one beside the small pouch.

Looking at the Vongola ring one more time, he slowly slipped the it on his middle finger while the smaller one connected to it was slipped to his pinkie finger since he reckoned that the small chain connecting it was long enough to be worn like that.

He blinked and stared at his hand, examining how it looked with the ring on and he couldn't help but grin sheepishly.

He can't help but feel a bit self-conscious wearing such a... flashy ring, not that he didn't like it. In fact he liked the ring. He just felt like it would gain him more attention if he wore it since it looked so flashy.

But Reborn had said to keep the rings with him always and this was the best way to do so since there's a possibility of losing it if he continued to keep it in the pouch.

"I guess it looks okay." He commented as he spared a last glance at his hand before he picked the other ring up. "As for this one..." he thought aloud as he stood up and headed to the small desk at the other side of the room and opened the drawers.

"...I know I had a chain here somewhere..." he mumbled as he rummaged through the drawer, moving things here and there, and was basically too preoccupied looking for something that he had failed to noticed the faint warmth that was coming off from the ring before it glowed a bright orange and Tsuna, eyes wide with surprise, stumbled back and fell on his butt before holding his hand out in front of him and did the first thing that came to mind.

"HHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEE!"

* * *

Yamamoto Takeshi was a calm man. And although he was more known for being his carefree, overly cheerful self, it was a fact known by his friends and family that he was a man that was just naturally calm and was capable of staying calm for unbelievably long periods of time. No matter what kind of problems and trials life throws at him, he'll still remain calm and face it head on; just like what he always did when he played baseball.

Though, even he had to admit, the various events in his life that followed ever since he had joined Tsuna's mafia game put his seemingly never ending calmness to the test. And he had to admit that there were times that he had actually lost his cool; although they were so few that it wouldn't even exceed a single hand when counted. Nevertheless, he had always managed to calm himself down and put his ever present smile back on his face.

Because in the end, he knew that getting angry or going into panic or just plainly losing control of himself would only result in making him do something he would end up regretting later on and he didn't want that. He had grown up seeing that happen to the people around him; his classmates, his friends, the teachers at school and even his father...

That was why no matter what, he had promised himself that he'd stay calm for as much as he could possibly be and make sure that no matter what, he won't do something he'd regret because he'd lost control.

Calm like the rain.

That was just how he was.

And that was why he wasn't worried at all when he stood at the top of a small building overlooking the intersection where he usually met Tsuna almost every day before yesterday, ten minutes after the usual time the brunette passed by. After all, there were many reasons why the brunette wasn't there yet.

For all he knew, Tsuna could be walking on his way here, just minutes away. Or that he saw that Chihuahua on that house on the other block again and decided to take a detour around the house to avoid it. Or maybe Tsuna was still fast asleep, seeing as he looked so tired yesterday because he had been running around town in the rain.

There was no reason for him to panic just because the brunette was late for a few minutes and Reborn, who had been watching the area around Tsuna's apartment, still hadn't informed him of anything suspicious happening which meant that Tsuna was still safe.

He also wasn't worried when it was already ten minutes passed eight and the brunette still hasn't passed that intersection, although he was starting to wonder why Tsuna still wasn't there since it usually took ten minutes from his apartment to the intersection.

He was, however, starting to lose his calm when Tsuna still hasn't showed up forty-five minutes after eight and started to ask Reborn if anything had happened to the brunette. After all, it had almost been an hour since the brunette usually passed by.

Usually, being late for Yamamoto wasn't such a cause for worry. However, something similar had happened last year where he and Ryouhei were sent in advance to the mansion of a Famiglia that they were going to have a meeting with only to wait for hours before finding out that Tsuna had disappeared.

That was the first time in a very long time that Yamamoto had lost every bit of calmness inside him as he and the Guardians searched for their boss everywhere, hoping that, whatever that had happened to the brunette, they would find him safe and sound.

"I wonder why Tsuna hasn't left yet." Yamamoto thought aloud as he made his way to Tsuna's apartment. After asking Reborn, the hitman had told him that he asked Leon to check Tsuna's apartment and came back saying that the brunette was still in his apartment. Curious, Yamamoto had volunteered to go and see if something was wrong and to reassure to himself that there was no reason to feel a bit panicky.

Turning a corner, the two-storey apartment came to view and he was just a couple of blocks away when he heard that high-pitched shriek that belonged to one person he knew and what calm he had managed to regain disappeared again as he quickly dashed towards the apartment, pressing a small button on his communicator that sent a signal to Reborn, and climbed up the stairs and forced open the door on the last unit.

He entered quickly, his Shigure Kintoki in hand, and observed the apartment before he turned to the door that led to the bedroom where shuffling noises were heard.

He stepped forward stealthily and was about a couple of steps away from the door when he heard more shuffling and what seemed like a whimper that made him rush in and pushed the door open with such force that it slammed against the wall.

"Tsuna!"

"HHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEE!"

Yamamoto blinked as he stopped where he was, on arm pushed against the door and the other had his Shigure Kintoki raised, as he stared at the scene in front of him.

Tsuna stood on the corner of the room, eyes closed shut and his arms raised in front of him. He he had one of his legs up and put together with his arms and he looked as if he was shielding himself.

"Uh, Tsuna?" he started, not really sure what to say, and lowered his Shigure Kintoki. Tsuna slowly opened his eyes and peeked from the space between his arms before lowering them, panic evident in his features despite the relief that surfaced in his chocolate brown eyes. "Y-Yamamoto..." he muttered shakily and looked a little wary when he spotted Shigure Kintoki. "u-u-um, what a-are you..." he stuttered before something shuffled closer to him and he squeaked, pushing himself against the wall despite even further as panicky eyes turned to another direction.

"Gao."

Turining to the source of the sound, Yamamoto turned his head to where Tsuna was looking at and the alarm he had felt earlier disappeared, replaced by and understanding smile and the steady calm he had been known for quickly returned as he stared at the source of Tsuna's distress.

There in the middle of the room stood Natsu, its orange mane flickering every now and then as it stared longingly at Tsuna.

It took a step forward.

"Hiiiieeee! Ya-Yamamoto!" Tsuna shrieked hysterically as he frantically turned to Yamamoto "I-I – w-what – it just appeared all of a sudden!" he exclaimed before he raised his hand with the Vongola ring, the intricate design of the lion head on it gone. "T-The ring! It just glowed and then – and then!" he then turned back to the small lion."T-Then this – this..." he pointed a shaky finger at Natsu. "...burning lion... came out." He mumbled shakily.

Natsu looked at Tsuna before turning to Yamamoto, a look of recognition flashed in its eyes. "Gao." It called dejectedly and Yamamoto felt a little bad for the little guy, knowing it was upset with the way Tsuna was reacting. Looking at the small lion, Yamamoto smiled, placed his Shigure Kintoki against the wall and crouched down and stretched his hand out, beckoning Natsu to come to him.

"Yamamoto don't!" Tsuna cried but Yamamoto gestured for him to keep quiet as Natsu, still looking quite dejected, started to walk towards him. "Don't worry Tsuna, it won't hurt you." He said as he patted the small lion's head. "I think Natsu just misses you." He added.

Tsuna stared incredulously at him as he continued to pat Natsu's head. Then, realization seemed to dawn on the brunette as he straightened up and turned to face him fully. "Wait, d-did you just call it Natsu?"

Yamamoto blinked as chocolate brown eyes stared at him questioningly and smiled. "Yup!" he answered "This little guy here's Natsu! He's your pet." He said cheerfully and Natsu 'Gao'd' in response.

Tsuna stared back at him, a stupefied expression on his face. "That's my what?" he yelled.

Yamamoto scratched his cheek. "Uh, your pet?" he answered again and resisted the urge to laugh when Tsuna's eye witched.

"...I have a pet lion?" he asked, although it came out more of a statement than a question.

"Yup!" he said cheerfully and paused when an idea popped in his mind. "Oh, I have them too." He said and took out his necklace and held it out for Tsuna to see. It glowed blue before a flash of light came out and landed on the floor beside him and Natsu.

Tsuna, who had covered his eyes with his arms because of the light, lowered them and stared wide-eyed at the brown Akita standing beside Yamamoto and the blue swallow perched on his shoulder. "What..." he mumbled, a jumble of shock and surprise on his face.

"Haha! These are my pets!" Yamamoto explained. "This one's Jiro." The dog barked and he placed a hand on the dog's head as it wagged its tail. "And this little guy here's Kojiro." He pointed to the blue swallow and it chirped in response.

Natsu, who seemed to have perked at seeing its friends, let out a cheerful 'Gao' and Kojiro responded by flying over and landing on its head while Jiro gave the small lion a friendly nip in the ears.

Yamamoto watched the three for a couple of seconds before turning to Tsuna who was watching the three animals with curiosity and a sliver of apprehension dancing in his eyes. Pushing himself off the wall, he took a step forward; eyes still stuck on the three and asked. "What are they?" he then turned to Yamamoto.

Yamamoto fell silent as Tsuna's inquisitive stare returned to Natsu and his box animals. He knew that the brunette was aware that the Natsu and the others weren't ordinary animals, if the observant stare the brunette was giving them was enough to indicate that.

"They're box animals."

Two pairs of eyes turned to the doorway where Reborn stood, arms crossed as he leaned on the door frame. "Chaos." He greeted.

"Reborn..." Tsuna said and Reborn turned to him. "What..." he stopped, glanced at Natsu for a second before he continued. "What do you mean box animal?" he asked.

Yamamoto turned to Reborn as well, wondering how the hitman would explain it. They had never discussed this in the plan since they hadn't really thought that they would need to show their box animals any time soon. Unfortunately, they forgot about Natsu and he inwardly sighed in relief that Reborn decided to show himself before he had started to wrack his brain for an explanation.

Reborn pushed himself off the wall and stepped inside the room. "They're animals created by Vongola." He started and Tsuna furrowed his brows in confusion. "Created? But how-"

"I told you yesterday that Vongola is a company that excels in many different fields." Reborn cut him off as he stared back at the brunette. "Technology is one of them."

Tsuna fell silent as a thoughtful look crossed his face. "So, you're saying that these guys aren't really animals?" he asked. "No, they're animals." Reborn answered and a confused expression fell on the brunette's face. "But you just said that they're created." He replied. Reborn sighed. "Dame-Tsuna." He muttered and purposely looked down at Natsu, Kojiro and Jiro to ignore the half glare the brunette gave him. "They're animals, but they're also created with the use of technology." He explained and Tsuna was about to ask another question when he felt something rub against his legs and looked down to see Natsu looking up at him.

"Hiiiieeeee!" he screamed and scrambled back to the wall, Natsu following him. Reborn sighed.

"I think he wants you to pet him, Tsuna." Yamamoto said and chocolate brown eyes turned "What?" he asked. "Pet him." Reborn repeated and Tsuna looked at him for a couple of seconds before turning to the small lion in front of him. "But the flames-"

"It won't burn you." Reborn cut him off and Tsuna gulped before slowly crouching down and reached a shaky hand over to pet Natsu in the head.

Noticing this, Natsu inclined its head lower and Tsuna took this as a sign that it was okay and carefully ran a hand on the small lion's head, feeling the soft fur against his hands and that was all it took before Natsu stepped closer to him and purred contentedly.

As he saw this, the look of apprehension on Tsuna's face disappeared and tried to pet Natsu again. His lips slowly quirked up into a small smile. He continued to pet the small lion, this time rubbing behind the ears and Natsu purred once more. "Gao~"

"Haha! Natsu looks really happy." Yamamoto laughed and Tsuna's smile grew as he nodded. "Yeah."

Yamamoto watched the brunette for a while longer before a thought crossed his mind. "Oh, by the way Tsuna..." he started and Tsuna turned back to him. "Yeah?" "Why aren't you at work today?" he asked.

Tsuna blinked before look down at Natsu who looked back at him. "Well..." he started "I actually woke up late and was running off to work earlier when I thought I'd call and let the manager know I was late. But then the manager said that the cafe was closed for the day because there was a gas leak in the kitchen and that it was closed for the day to get it fixde so I returned here." He explained. "Sorry for not letting you know." He smiled apologetically at them.

Yamamoto laughed. "Haha! It's okay!" he said cheerfully, glad that nothing happened to the brunette, and was about to say something else when something beeped and he turned to Reborn who took out a small green console from inside his suit.

He stared at it for a few seconds before turning to Tsuna. "Something came up. We have to go." He told the brunette and Yamamoto stood up, looking questioningly at Reborn. Reborn returned the gaze with a look that said he'd explain later and Yamamoto nodded.

Tsuna looked up. "Oh, um... okay." Yamamoto took out his necklace and both Jiro and Kojiro returned and he grabbed his Shigure Kintoki from the wall. Then he smiled apologetically as he saw the disappointed look in the other's eyes.

Tsuna saw this and he lightly shook his head. "I guess I'll see you later then?" he said as he stood up and followed them out to the door.

"Yeah." Yamamoto said and Reborn gave a small nod as he opened the door. "See you later Tsuna!" Yamamoto gave a small wave and saw the brunette return a wave as well before the door closed and he then turned his attention to the hitman walking in front of him.

"Reborn?"

"Later."

"Okay." He said back and they both walked in silence as they climbed down the stairs and closed the gate behind them as they left the apartment compound. It wasn't until they were a block away that Yamamoto spoke. "So where are they?" he asked as he crossed his arms behind his head and smiled in a carefree way.

Reborn took out the small green console once more and Yamamoto saw the small yellow eyes blinking up at the hitman above the screen. "According to Leon, there's a small group a few blocks away from us, near the intersection and another near the flower shop on the other side." Reborn said and Yamamoto grinned.

"Can I take the one on the intersection?" he said as he lowered his arms and turned to Reborn who glanced at him before returning Leon console back into his suit. "Suit yourself." Said Reborn and Yamamoto turned the corner that led the way back into the intersection he was standing just a while ago.

He thought back to what just happened in the apartment just a few moments ago and wondered what Tsuna must be thinking. He was sure the brunette had wanted to ask more, it was evident in the disappointed look he had before they left. But since those guys appeared again, they had to leave and take care of them.

Yamamoto hummed as he turned a corner. He was now just a block away from the intersection and he discretely looked around him before he turned in an alley, hopped off the walls and landed on top of the three storey building that over looked the intersection ahead.

He scanned the streets below him, catching every minute detail about the people. Reborn had said that it was just a small group, and seeing that it was still early, there weren't that much people walking around yet aside from student and office workers.

He turned to the other side and saw, just in time, a group of men hiding in the shadows of the alley beside the candy shop and his eyes narrowed as he saw one of them a few of them holding guns.

Taking out his Shigure Kintoki, he stealthily leapt from one rooftop to another and landed quietly on the top of the building that housed the candy shop. He leaned near the edge and was just about to jump back when he overheard one of them talking.

"I heard that the target's pretty easy to catch."

"The information we got said that he lost his memories and is usually walking around this town."

A series of snorts and chuckles followed before one of them spoke again.

"Heh, this makes it all easier then. Since he ain't got any memory, he probably can't remember how to even fight. "

"We can just go corner him and then slit his throat. Let's see then what he has to say about out Famiglia."

Yamamoto's hand clenched tightly around his Shigure Kintoki as the men below continued to talk about what they planned to do with Tsuna.

"Or better yet, we can just capture him and sell him to one of those bounty hunters. We'd get a fortune for that."

"Or bring him to our boss to deal with. We'd probably get promoted or something."

"Heh, the guy's probably not that strong anyway, if he can't even remember how to fight."

A strong feeling of anger filled Yamamoto's veins as he listened to what the men below were saying. He had heard all the others say similar things ever since the Tsuna became Decimo. And he knew he should be used to this by now since they've been in the mafia for ten years now. It was natural to have people after his boss and best friend however he still couldn't help but feel the rush of anger especially now that Tsuna's in a more vulnerable situation than before.

He took a silent breath to steady himself. Despite the knowledge that he was far more skilled in battle than these men, he knew better than to charge in a rush of anger. His father, and later on Squalo, had always told him that the most important thing when fighting was to remain calm. That there was no use to charging into a fight in a flurry of emotions because then you would be prone to making mistakes.

And that mistake would usually lead to death.

He took another breath and looked down, calmly observing the men below him and watching every movement they made and firmly held his Shigure Kintoki in his hand before he stepped off the edge and quietly landed behind one of the men.

One of the men noticed him and jumped back with a startled cry. The other men quickly turned to him and jumped back as well before taking out their weapons and going into the defensive.

"W-Who are you?" one of them demanded though the hand holding his gun was shaking slightly.

Yamamoto smiled though it held no cheer and he took another step forward. "Haha, sorry to startle you, but I was just passing by when I heard you talking about my friend." He said and the smile on his face grew a tiny bit when he saw the pale and terrified looks the men were giving him when he took another step forward and they realized who he was.

He raised Shigure Kintoki and let it rest on his shoulder as he continued to speak. "You know, it's not very nice to talk about my friend like that." He stepped forward again. "He's actually really kind." He took another step and some of the men took this as their queue to run, making the others follow.

"Oops, they ran." He said in a rather carefree way before raising his Shigure Kintoki once more and falling into his offensive stance, the sharp look in his eyes replacing the carefree ones. "Unfortunately, I can't let you go."

"Not after insulting my best friend."

* * *

Dino stretched, hearing a few popping sounds here and there before sighing as he stared at the stacks of paper and folders currently sitting on top of his desk. After returning from the meeting he had with Tsuna's Guardians yesterday, he had spent the rest of the day, and most likely, the whole of this day as well, going through numerous piles of reports and files that pertain to everything and anything related to that anonymous informant responsible for leaking Tsuna's whereabouts.

He had sent Romario and Amedeo, the head of his information network, to search all around Italy and the surrounding countries to conduct an investigation for that informant. However, despite all of the reports he got about those who had gotten in contact with the informant, there were hardly any clues found.

A knock on the door made him look up from a report he was reading. "Come in." He called tiredly and the door opened to reveal Romario.

"I thought you might want to take a break boss." Romario said as he placed a small tray containing a cup of coffee and a plate of sandwiches on the space on Dino's desk that wasn't taken up by the reports.

"Ah, thank you." Dino said appreciatively before taking an offered cup from Romario.

Romario glanced at pile of reports on his boss' desk. "Still nothing?" Dino shook his head as he took a sandwich from the tray "Still nothing." He answered as he thought back to all of the information he'd went through.

Just like what Gokudera had told him, most of the people who got hold of the informant contacted each other through an unbelievably safe network that was carefully erased right after, leaving no trace whatsoever. There was, however, something that the Vongola weren't able to uncover that the Cavallione's information network were able to discover; and that was that whoever this informant was, it was most likely a Mist flame user.

Out of the large pile of reports and other information he had gotten, there were quite a handful about several people meeting up with the informant. But whenever they were questioned about the meeting per se, they all end up saying that they couldn't remember the meeting or that they weren't able to properly see who the informant was.

When Dino had pointed it out, Amedeo had said that it was possible that their memories were tampered with. He explained that memory manipulation was possible with the use of Mist flames and said that he too, also sometimes used the same method, being a Mist flame user himself, when it came to obtaining classified information.

However, aside from that, there still hadn't been any progress with the investigation and he was starting to get slightly annoyed at how this person was able to hide themselves for so long with both the Vongola and Cavallione hot on their trail.

What's more, since they hardly have anything about this informant, they couldn't even speculate at the motive behind this person's actions of leaking classified information in the mafia world. And there was still his and Gokduera's presumption that the informant is the same person who has been spreading the rumours about that alliance against Vongola...

"Boss?"

Dino looked up to his right to see Romario staring at him. "What is it?" he asked before taking another bit of his sandwich. Romario seemed to raise an eyebrow at the question before answering. "It's just that, you were eating so fast. I'm worried you might choke." He said.

Now it was Dino's turn to raise an eyebrow and turned to look at the tray. He blinked in surprise when he realized that he had indeed, almost finished all of the sandwiches aside from the half eaten one in his hand.

Turning back to his trusted subordinate, he chuckled. "I didn't notice. I was too busy thinking." He said sheepishly and Romario sighed. "I understand that you want to help Sawada-san and his friends, but please be more careful. What if I wasn't around? You could've choked to death boss."

And as if Romario had just jinxed him, Dino choked on his coffee. "Romario! I'm not that clumsy anymore! I won't die because I choked on a sandwich!" Dino exclaimed, appalled that his trusted subordinate would still think he was clumsy enough to choke to death. He wasn't that pathetic! Well, not anymore anyway... though he'd still trip every now and then.

"Anyway," he coughed into his hand. "aside from the speculation that this informant is possibly a Mist user, is there anything else that Amedeo has found out?" he asked.

Romario shook his head. "At the moment, there is still no progress. Amedeo is still waiting for the men he sent to the south. He said he'd be able to give you another set of reports later today." He said and Dino gave a small nod "Alright." He said, leaning back into his chair.

A short moment of silence passed before Dino decided to speak. "By the way, what about that small group that was responsible for the attack of the Costa and De Luca Famiglias?" he inquired.

"Well, " Romario started to explain but was cut off as a knock was heard and both Dino adn Romario turned to the door.

"Come in." Dino called. The door opened and one of his subordinates entered. "Boss, this just arrived from Amedeo. He said it's urgent." The subordinate said and Romario quickly walked over and took the manila folder from him and giving it to Dino who gratefully took it. "Thank you. You are dismissed." Dino waved a hand and the subordinate left.

Romario stood by and watched as Dino opened the folder and read its contents. "This is..." he said as he quickly turned the previous page, read something and then turned to the next page and read the continuation before turning it again to the previous page and repeat the process as if he was confirming something. "We found it!" he exclaimed.

"Boss?" Romario asked and Dino turned to him, an excited look in his eyes. "We finally found a link Romario! A link!" he said before showing the open folder to him and letting him read the contents as he picked up the phone in his desk, pressed a button and spoke to someone before putting it back down.

"I'm guessing we're going somewhere?" Romario asked as he watched Dino stand up and pick up his coat that lay sprawled on the couch while saying something about thanking Amedeo for the report.

Dino turned to him, smile on his face. "That's right. I want you to prepare for a trip Romario." He said "Where are we going, boss?" Romario asked and he couldn't help but smile back as he saw the determined expression on his boss' face.

"We're going south."

* * *

Author's Notes:

And there you go! Chapter 15! ...Yeah I know, there's not much going on in this chapter and I'm a bit surprised it got this long. I'm also wondering If i did Yamamoto's character right since this is the first time I wrote using his POV. I'm also not sure if I got Dino right. What do you guys think?

Also, if you see anything wrong with the chapter, anything at all (spelling, tensing, phrasing, characterization etc.) please tell me. I'll do my best to make it better since I haven't properly checked this chapter because my eyes are so tired and I just really wanted to finish this so that I won't have to rush it tomorrow because I'll be busy again. (today's a holiday so, yeah)

Anyhow, I hope you liked this chapter! Review and tell me what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Notes:

I am seriously sorry for making you guys wait this long. Life caught up. got hit with a serious case of writer's block and extreme lethargy.

To **OzoraWings**: Thank you! I'm glad you like this story :) as for balancing real life with writing, well, it's really hard since I always come home tired. But I guess since I'm only doing one story I get to focus on it a lot. Plus i already have an outline of the story (still incomplete thought). And I'm glad you like how I made Gokudera in charge. honestly I think people forget he's the right hand a lot. XD As for your thoughts about Uni's vision and Tsuna, well... you'll jsut have to read and find out~

To **SioQu**: Yes me too! I'm gonna enjoy writing Natsu later on~

To **MissDinosaur**: it's okay, at least you had a few chapters to read when you came back~ ^^

To **Taira-keimei**: your welcome~

To ** 550**: don't worry, the others will be showing up soon.

To **forever LuNa**: at least Natsu finally got to see Tsuna now ^^

To **long live marshmallows**: is he? I never intended Yamamoto to look scary... ok, maybe I did. A little bit. XD But I was thinking of mixing his serious hitman self with his usual cheerful self and that came out. it works anyway~ XD And I'm glad that Dino's part seems fine. Thanks for reviewing! :)

* * *

Chapter 16

Dino sat comfortably at the plush backseat of the car, one arm placed on the armrest, propping his head up, as he stared at the seemingly endless view of blue, green and gold outside the window. Beside him sat Romario who, just like him, had been staring at the window on his side for quite some time now but didn't have the same bored look that was on his boss' face.

"How much longer till we get there, Emilio?" Dino asked, turning away from the window and looked at the driver seat which a dark haired man with a medium built body occupied. The man turned to the passenger seat beside him. "Judging from the GPS, we have approximately another fifteen to twenty minutes before we arrive in Polistena* boss." came the answer from the passenger seat in front of him as another man with spiky blonde hair and black–rimmed glasses appeared behind the seat turned to him, a small tablet on his hand.

"I see, thank you Valsino." Dino said and watched as Val gave a small nod and turned back to face the road before returning his gaze to the view of the countryside outside the window and letting out an almost inaudible sigh. "Would you like to take a rest for a while when we arrive in town boss?" he heard Romario from his left. "No. We will head straight for the location as soon as we arrive." He said, turning to the older man.

A few seconds passed as he stared at Romario, trying to keep his face as neutral as possible before an amused smile made its way to his face.

Romario seemed to notice this and coughed in his hand. "Is there something wrong, boss?" he asked in a rather condescending tone and Dino grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm just not used to seeing you wearing anything other than your suit so..." he chuckled lightly as the older man seemed to look a little self-conscious for a couple of seconds. "You're not wearing your usual clothes too, boss." Romario pointed out and Dino looked down at his clothes.

Instead of his usual attire of khaki pants and green coat with a black shirt underneath, he wore simple jeans and a grey shirt topped with a blue cardigan. And to completely change his look, he had his hair in a half ponytail and a pair of red-rimmed glasses covering the top half of his face.

"Well, Amedeo did say that we had to travel as discreet as possible." He shrugged, turning his attention back to Romario. "If people would recognize me with my usual attire, then they'd know that it's me walking around." He said before a cheerful smile made its way to his face. "Plus, it's quite refreshing, travelling like this instead of the usual jet for once." He added as he referred to the rental car they were currently riding.

A snort was heard from the seat in front of him. "Your just enjoying the fact that you get to skip paperwork, don't you boss?" Valsino said as both he and Romario turned to him at the same time, a knowing look plastered on their faces. "I – wha – of course not!" he exclaimed indignantly making the other three men laugh. "Don't worry, we understand boss." the Emilio said, looking at him through the rear view mirror with a cheeky smile. "There's no need to deny it."

"I'm not denying it!" Dino said, putting a little emphasis on the word 'not' before plopping back in his seat with a huff. "There's nothing to deny." He added a little sulkily, and his men laugh once more. He knew that they were aware of how he put aside most of his paperwork because of the investigation and it had slowly started to pile up. But even then he hadn't thought of using this trip as an excuse to skip out on paperwork.

...Well, the thought hadn't popped up until Romario mentioned it anyway.

"Yes boss, we know." Romario said, amusement evident in his voice before he turned serious once more. "But I'm quite curious as to why they couldn't just send us the information." He commented as the serious expression on his face returned. "We had to leave the mansion secretly for this and we even took the train instead of flying over like usual before renting this car." He added and Valsino nodded.

Dino sighed and ran a hand through his hair, messing it a bit. He had to admit, he was quite curious as well. The message left behind in the report only told them very little aside from the confirmation that they found information on the informant. Aside from that, the only other part left was the one telling them to go to Polistena as discreetly as possible to meet up with Amedeo's subordinate and to make sure that no one aside from him and those he truly trusted could know about this fact.

"Well, " he started, knowing that his subordinates stared at him, waiting for his opinion. "I don't know either." He admitted. "But he must have a reason to tell us to keep it a secret for now." He said to them before he turned his head back to the window where a few houses were now dotting the view every now and then which meant that they were close to their destination. "Anyway, we just have to meet up with his subordinate to find out the reason as well as the information that they found." He said as his thoughts turn back to the message sent to him.

He was really wondering why they had to take such precautions. After all, the message said that they had found information on the target. But the words 'travel as discreet as possible', though it seemed like just simple words, sounded more like a warning to him. As if the reason they were travelling secretly wasn't just to acquire a simple piece of information – it sounded as if there was more than just information, something more important... something that should only be known by those he truly trusted...

Realization dawned on him as he finally understood what Amedeo left in his message. But before he could even let the thought sink in, a voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Boss, we're here."

He blinked and turned to Romario who pointed to the window behind him. He turned to look outside his window and saw a four storey building. "This is the place?" he asked. "Yes. This is the place located in the coordinates." Valsino answered.

He stared at the building for a few more seconds, inspecting it for anything out of the ordinary, before he turned to the three men facing him, waiting for his orders.

"Okay." He breathe out. "Val, you're coming with me and Romario." He said "Emilio, stay here and stand guard; watch for anything suspicious." He ordered and received a curt nod from the man.

It was highly unlikely that anyone would know they were there; nor did he think anyone would notice who they were. But given the tactful warning hidden in the message sent by the head of his networking team, it wouldn't hurt to be a bit cautious.

After checking their surroundings once more, they finally got out of their cars, into the sidewalk and up the small steps that led to the front door and rang the door bell. A few seconds passed before footsteps were heard from behind the door followed by a click and the door swung open revealing a middle-aged man, probably around his early forties and stood around the same height as Romario. His dark chestnut hair had a few grey hairs sticking out in places and his dark eyes looked calm yet guarded. He glanced at Dino, then the two men behind him and returned it to the blonde.

"Boss." came the curt greeting as the man stepped back so that they could enter and gave a small bow. Dino gave a small nod in return as they entered the building. "It's been a while, Eli." He greeted as the man stood straight again. "Yes, it has been a while boss." the man – Eliseo – said as he took another glance at Valsino who was also looking at him rather warily.

"Ah, that's right." Dino said when he noticed this. "You two don't know each other yet. Eli, this is Valsino. He's been with me for the past four years." He gestured to Valsino. "And this, Val, is Eliseo or Eli for short. He's second to Amedeo in the Famiglia's information network team." He gestured to Eli. "He hardly stays in the mansion because of the information gathering that he does so I'm not surprised that you don't know each other." He explained and the two men gave a curt nod to each other in greeting before Dino turned back to Eliseo. "Anyway, I'm sure you already know why we're here." He said seriously. "Shall we start then?"

"Of course, boss." Eli answered back and gestured for them to follow him as he led them through the hallway and towards the room on the end of it. "It's a bit small, but please make yourselves comfortable." He said as they entered a small office that had bookshelves covering one side and a desk that was littered with folders and reports pushed near the window.

Dino and the others looked around the room for a few moments before sitting down, Dino and Romario occupying the couch while Dario sat down on the armchair beside Dino. All three watched as Eli headed to his desk and started to rummage around a small pile of folders and paperwork, waiting for the man to find what he was looking for – something Dino assumed to be the information they came for. However, it seemed that Eli had not noticed and spoke. "I'm assuming you guys are wondering why you had to come down all the way to the south just to receive this report?" he asked as he took a third of the pile and haphazardly stacked an uneven pile of papers and folders on one side of the desk before continuing to rummage through the rest.

Romario frowned, obviously not liking the fact that the other seemed to have problems finding said report, but remained silent as Dino turned to the Cavallione informant. "Yes, although to be more specific, we were wondering what kind of information is it that you've found that we had to come here personally instead of the usual procedure of sending a messenger to retrieve it from you." He said as Eli bent over more to get a closer look at the folders on his desk.

"Ah, yes." He paused. "That is because we thought it safer to let only boss know about what we found. Amedeo thinks that the target might get a hold of the report if we sent the usual messenger." He answered as he pulled out a thin folder from underneath the pile with a huff.

Dino saw a look of slight surprise cross over both of his subordinates' faces before Valsino spoke, leaning forward. "Wait, by saying that, you make it sound like our men can't even protect a simple thing such as a report." He said and Eli met Dino's gaze before turning his eyes to the spiky blonde. "I didn't say that our men can't do that. What I'm saying is that there's the possibility that the information found within this report-" he raised the folder slightly as he said this "- could end up falling into the wrong hands if I didn't make sure to hand it to boss himself." he explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

"And why is that?" Valsino asked and looked like he was about to say more when a small sound of surprise cut him off and all three turned to Romario who had a look of realization on his face. "Wait, are you saying that – but, it's impossible..." he said, his last words trailing off and turned to Dino who nodded. "You finally realized it, Romario, if what we're assuming is correct, then the reason why we had to go here is because there's a possibility that there's a spy within the Famiglia." He turned to the man sitting on the far end of the coffee table. "Is that right, Eli?"

The other two turned to him just in time to see Eli nod. "Yes, although it was Amedeo who suggested that we do that, which is why he sent you that report using the secret code knowing that only you and Romario would be able to read it and lessen the risk of a leak." He explained before placing the folder on the coffee table.

"Wait a second." Someone interjected and all eyes turned to the spiky blonde, leaning over the table in his place beside Romario. "A spy? In our Famiglia?" Valsino blurted out, a look of incredulity in his face. "Preposterous! I would have known if someone was able to infiltrate our Famiglia!" he exclaimed.

"It's possible." Eli answered back and Dario was about to retort before Dino sent him a look. "That's enough, Val." He said.

"But boss-"

"Enough." Dino said with a tone of finality and the spiky blonde relented, muttering an apology as he did so, and returned to his seat. Dino sighed. He had expected the chance that his subordinate might react that way when he realized what Amedeo had hinted on during their trip and he knew Valsino probably felt insulted. After all, he was the one in charge of scanning the Famiglia member's profiles and background. To have a spy infiltrate right under his nose must've felt like a slap in the face.

He ran a hand through his hair, took one more glance at Valsino before he turned back to Eli seating at the end of the coffee table and gave a small nod. Getting the message, the informant cleared his throat and spoke. "I know that the prospect of having a spy within our Famiglia seems highly impossible and improbable. However, we cannot ignore even the smallest of chances that there could be an information leak; especially since the target this time is an informant – a highly talented one at that from what I've heard, and we cannot risk having this one significant clue given back to this informant by means of a spy if we could help it." He explained.

Dino turned his eyes back to Valsino who gave a small nod and knew that the man understood.

The sound of a cough brought him back from his thoughts and he turned back to Eli, who was looking at him. "Ah, yes. Anyway, shall we continue?" he said to the older man and gestured to the folder under the man's hand. "I would really like to find out what it is that you found."

"Of course, boss." Eli nodded "But I'd like to clear something before we continue. You see, this information, I have to admit, it was actually by accident that I found it." he pushed the folder towards Dino who took it and almost hastily flipped it open.

"What do you mean by accident?" he asked as perplexed look slowly started to cover his features and raised a brow before looking back at the older man. "Wait a minute. I think you got the wrong report Eli." Dino said, closing the folder and waving the it a bit. "This isn't about the informant."

Eli merely stared back at him. "No, boss, it isn't." He answered. "However I did say that I stumbled across it by mere accident." He added and Dino sent him a look that clearly ordered him to explain. Eli sighed. "If you remember, boss, that a couple of days ago, you assigned me to investigate that small group of mercenaries that was responsible for the attack on several shipments related to some of our allied Famiglias." He said. "I was actually looking through some files regarding them when I came across that report." He gestured to the folder Dino was holding.

"It was a report about the surveillance on several warehouses located on the next town where it was suspected that another attack was going to take place." He continued and Dino returned his gaze on the folder in his hands, eyes scanning the report carefully. "It also contains several photos taken from weeks before, up to a couple of days after the attack happened with the surveillance cameras situated in the area. And as I was checking them I noticed something... unusual."

Eli continued talking as he watched Dino turn a few pages, still scanning a few parts here and there. "Among the photos taken by our hidden cameras, there was a certain picture there that managed to capture a few civilians that had no relevance or connection whatsoever to the mercenary group. We did a little bit of investigating only to realize that these men, although not necessarily connected with the mercenary group, have connections with the mafia."

The three other occupants seemed to perk up at this but all remained silent and Eli took his chance to continue. "However, since they didn't have anything to do with the case I'm handling, I didn't really think them too important to remember." He said and Dino stopped, looked up and met his gaze, a look of confusion and inquiry clearly showing in it. Romario, seeing his expression, decided to ask the question that had been floating in Dino's mind since this whole discussion started. "What does this have to do with the informant?" he asked.

Eli turned to him, leaning forward a bit as he did so and spoke. "Well, at first I really didn't think that this had anything to do with the target. But it was around that time that Amedeo called, saying something about helping him handle his investigation here in the south for a certain informant, that's when I remembered this report." He said, gesturing to the folder in Dino's hand.

A look of understanding crossed Dino's face and he quickly turned back to the folder, flipping the pages fast before settling into the one containing the pictures. Quickly scanning them, he then slowly turned the page before stopping at one and froze. A look of surprise passing on his face as his eyes seemed to stay on the figure shown in the corner of the photo, before it shifted to hesitant realization and then settling to incredulity.

"This..." he muttered before looking up to meet the older brunette. "Eli, this picture... how can – it's impossible..." he trailed off and both Romario and Dario shared a look of confusion before looking back at their boss curiously.

This, however, Dino ignored as he continued to stare at his informant's serious expression. "Eli, if what you're saying is that this person and the informant are the same... that this report is evidence pointing to this person-"

"I can prove that this person is indeed the target, boss." Eli calmly cut him off and didn't even flinch when he received a sharp look from the don, as if challenging him to prove the don wrong and show him more evidence to prove that the result of his investigation was, indeed, true. Instead, he stood up, went over to his desk, opened a drawer and took out a small CD encased in a plastic case.

"This," he held the case up for them to see. "...is the actual video footage from that picture." He paused, looking back at his boss.

"And this is proof that that person is indeed the target."

* * *

_The sound of muffled jeers, shouts and laughs could be heard as familiar voices rang throughout their house and into his room. Smiling to himself, he took one last look at his things, checking to see if he had gotten everything in the bag, before zipping it up. He then stood up, took one last look at his room, carried his luggage with him and headed to the door. _

_The muffled voices became louder and clearer as he descended down the stairs, almost tripping himself on the way as a nine-year-old Lambo, followed closely by a nine-year-old I-pin, ran past him in the hallway shouting something in Italian as he laughed. He didn't need to guess to know that his Lightning was most likely running away from the living room where a fuming Gokudera could be heard shouting at the boy as well as having a shouting match against Haru. Yamamoto could also be heard, laughing cheerfully as he attempted to calm the two of them down._

_Readjusting his hold on his bag, he quickly side-stepped the kitchen, grimacing as his Sun's booming exclaims of extreme food rang through the room and hastily avoiding the billowing, purple smoke emanating from it as he tried not to listen to the sound of objects floating as well as Fuuta's mumblings about the world's most poisonous dishes. _

_Finally reaching the end of the hallway, he hastily dashed forward, successfully evading all of the traps Reborn left him before the hitman went ahead to Italy to help Nono with the preparations for his inheritance ceremony days ago, and arrived at the front door unbelievably unscathed. He then walked over to the gate where a small pile of bags and trolleys lay, glancing to the street corner where a large black Mercedes could be seen parked a few meters away as he did so._

_As he placed his own bag onto the pile, he unconsciously turned towards his house and his eyes landed on one of the windows that led to the dining room where he saw Chrome, Kyouko and his mother talking animatedly, although Chrome still stayed as reserved as she always was. Then he saw Lambo and I-pin enter the room and hid behind his mom and Chrome, an angry looking Gokudera behind them followed by Haru. An almost unconscious looking Ryouhei carried by Yamamoto, that ever present smile on his face entered next with Bianchi and Fuuta following closely._

_He smiled widely as he watched the rambunctious crowd inside his house. He was sure that if Hibari had been there, he would most definitely bite everyone to death and then chase after _him_ because he wanted to bite him to death..._

_Blinking at the thought, he couldn't help but let a light chuckle escape his lips and he shook his head. Luckily enough, Reborn had been considerate enough to allow Hibari to meet up with them at the airport instead of going to his house. And Mukuro already went ahead to Italy, after much persuasion from Chrome, and was staying somewhere in the country which he was greatly thankfully for since he wanted to avoid whatever chances there are of Hibari and Mukuro meeting in _his_ house._

_Luckily, they both agreed. Though he had a strong feeling this was decided upon mostly for his mother's sake of having the house still intact when they left instead of his pleading._

_He looked back at the house just in time to see Gokudera smack Lambo and was reprimanded by Haru and the two began arguing again. Meanwhile, Kyouko was watching her brother a bit worriedly as the older Sasagawa's head lolled every now and then with Yamamoto still supporting the boxer upright and was talking rather cheerfully with Chrome Bianchi and I-pin._

_He continued to watch his friends for a while longer before he felt his smile falter as he felt dull throbbing of sadness tugging at his heart. _

_Today was the day he was leaving his home for Italy. _

_He had finally taken up the mantle of Vongola Decimo. He would never be able to go back to the simple life he had before any of this started. But most importantly..._

_He will never be able to return to this warm and lively house with his mother and friends that he had come to consider as his family._

_Tearing his eyes away from the view of his house, he turned to look up at the vast, wide sky; thin wisps of clouds floated around as the dark, almost midnight blue gave way to light indigo and then to a lighter shade of grey, blue and yellow as dawn quietly approached. _

"_Tsu-kun?"_

_He looked back and met eyes so much like his own except for his darker colored ones that resembled chocolate instead of her honey brown ones._

"_Mom." He said and she smiled gently at him. "What are you doing out here on your own? Your friends are all inside." She said, and for a while, he thought about what he was indeed doing outside of their house. "I'm not really sure." He answered honestly, tilting his head a little to the side as if he was thinking. "The sky just looks really pretty right now. I thought I'd watch it for a while." He added as he looked back up at the sky, his mother doing the same seconds later._

"_Ah, you're right. It's really pretty." She said with a smile. They stayed like that for a moment, him shivering a bit in the chilly spring air, before she spoke again. "I'll miss you, Tsu-kun." He turned away from the sky to look at her but she didn't move, instead, she kept her eyes on the sky above them. _

"_I'll miss you too, mom." He said back and he knew she knew that he meant it. In fact, it had taken her a lot of time to agree to his moving to Italy right after high school, saying that he was far too young to take over Vongola but eventually relented after some persuasion and promises of visitations from both him and his father._

_As much as he hated to leave his mother all alone, it was far too dangerous to stay with her and risk her being involved with him. It was much better to move to Italy where he was more exposed to threats against his life than to bring harm to his mother. _

_A rather loud shout was heard from the house followed by a few more tamer voices, and for a moment he wondered how the neighbors were still able to stay asleep with all the noise his friends and Guardians were making._

"_You take good care of yourself over there, okay?" he heard her voice quiver ever so slightly as she said this and he could see from the corner of his eyes how she took a relatively deep breath. _

"_I will."_

"_Your friends too."_

"_Yeah."_

_Another shout was heard, and then a crash and a wail that told him that Lambo must've done something that really annoyed Gokudera again. Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh as his mother let out a light giggle, obviously amused at his reaction, and turned back to see what happened and to stop his Guardians from destroying the house once more._

_He was just a few more steps away from the front door when his mother spoke again._

"_Tsu-kun."_

_He turned back to meet bright, honey colored eyes. _

"_Yeah mom?"_

_She smiled that gentle smile he had always been fond of, even as a child._

"_I love you Tsu-kun... so much."_

_He stared back at her for a second or two and smiled._

"_I love you too, mom."_

"-cues me... EXCUSE ME!"

"Hiiieee! H-Huh? W-What?" he exclaimed, arms flailing in surprise so much that he accidentally hit a few books on the shelf to his left and turned to the two middle school girls standing in front of him. "I-I'm sorry, what did you say?" he said, bowing hurriedly in apology. He had probably spaced out again without noticing. and to think it happened at work again...

One of the two girls huffed, obviously annoyed at the thought that she was being ignored. "I said, as I have been doing so for three times already-" He cringe. He was out for that long? "where can I find the latest release of Murakami-sensei's book." She said, flipping some of her hair back, and stared at him in an almost-heated glare that made him flinch.

"U-Um... that book's... uh..." he muttered, wracking his brains for the genre and section of the book.

"It's in the fiction section, third aisle to the left of the references section." Came a voice and immediately Tsuna turned to see a pair for green eyes glaring at the direction of the two girls. "Gokudera-kun!" he said and green eyes turned to him, the glare disappearing. "Is something wrong, Tsuna-san?" Gokudera asked and he blinked, as if not understanding the question at first, before he lightly shook his head. "No, I'm fine Gokudera-kun." He answered. Gokudera nodded at his answer then turned back to the two girls, the usual scowl on his face. "Is there anything else that you need?" he asked, a tinge of polite annoyance showing in his voice.

The two girls that were staring at Gokudera with, Tsuna noted, a rather dazed look and slightly pink cheeks seemed to snap out of their thoughts as they heard Gokudera speak and quickly shook their heads, their faces turning a darker shade of pink. "N-No, that's all. T-Thank you." One of the girls said before they both hurried toward the aisle Gokudera pointed to them, talking in hushed tones and giggling every now and then.

He turned back to Gokudera who was also looking at those girls, an elegant brow raised in question, before the silver haired man turned to him, a concerned expression replacing the scowl that usually plastered his face. "Are you sure you're okay, Tsuna-san? You were spacing out." he said and Tsuna realized that the Italian was probably watching him from a distance earlier.

"Yes, I'm fine, Gokudera-kun. I just got surprised by those girls." He answered back. Gokudera stared at him for a few more seconds, as if searching him if he was telling the truth, before nodding again. "We should head back now. Our shift's almost over." The silver haired man said as he glanced at his watch.

He was about to agree with the Italian when he finally noticed the half empty box of books by his feet and remembered that he was refilling the shelves. "Ah, wait Gokudera-kun. I still have to finish these. You can go on ahead." He said as he picked up the books that he knocked over and placed them back on the shelf and then to the box. As he did so, another pair of hands joined him and he looked up to see Gokudera take a few books and start refilling the shelf as well. "Gokudera-kun! It's okay, I can do it myself-"

"It's okay, I want to help Jyuudaime."

As much as it seemed like the other hadn't meant to say it, he couldn't help but flinch when he heard the term Gokudera called him. Noticing this, Gokudera stopped, realized what he said and bowed. "I'm so sorry Jyu- I mean Tsuna-san! I didn't meant to call you that here!" he said and bowed again and again.

"N-No! It's okay Gokudera-kun! It's okay!" he said, flailing a little as he looked around, hoping that the silver haired man wouldn't catch much attention. "Please stop bowing..." he trailed off as Gokudera stopped and stood straight again, an apologetic look still on his face. "Really, it's okay Gokudera-kun. I don't mind much. Just help me with these books." He said and they started refilling the shelf again.

A moment of silence fell between them with nothing but the chatter and noise of the people inside the bookshop could be heard as well as the shuffling of books. Gokudera bent over again to get more books and Tsuna took this chance to take a quick glance at the silver haired man.

Gokudera had returned yesterday, just as he his shift at the bookstore was about to end, and had waited until he had come out at the back door before the man practically grovelled on the ground, bowing so fervently that his head of silver hair had turned into a blur of silver that was bobbing up and down. It took a bit of flailing, shouting and begging before he had managed to make the other stop and calm down, then remembered the explanation he got from Reborn about Gokduera being a part of Vongola and the person second only to him.

After a few questions here and there about Vongola and his life, when they had bumped into Yamamoto on the way to his apartment and, after a few greetings, the dark haired man decided to 'tag along', as Gokudera put it.

His hand placing the book faltered as he recalled the conversation they had after that, and he couldn't help but feel something heavy tugging at his chest as he tried to go over it once more.

_Flashback_

The sun was starting to set, painting the sky a fiery red orange with smudges of indigo starting at the edges, and he, Gokudera and Yamamoto were passing through the market area, a small bag full of groceries in his hand, when a thought struck him and he slowed down, turning to his two companions. "Hey, can I ask something again?" he said.

"Of course you can, Jyuudaime!"

"Haha! Sure!"

Smiling at the reactions he got, though he still wasn't used to being called 'Jyuudaime' yet, he shifted the bag he was holding to the other and asked. "Reborn said we've known each other for over ten years now, how exactly did we meet?"

Both Gokudera and Yamamoto paused, shared a look and then turned back to him. "Well..." Gokudera started. "I transferred to your school." He said before he averted his gaze. "I didn't really liked you at first... challenged you to a fight, then something went wrong and you ...helped me." He said looking, surprisingly, abashed when he said the first part. Then he glanced at Yamamoto who just laughed. "I was having some problems too when you came and helped me with it." came the short reply and something told Tsuna that there was more to that story that but decided not to ask the other to elaborate it. Then, another question popped in his head.

"Which school did we go to?" he asked and this time it was Yamamoto who answered first. "Haha! Well, before we started to live in Italy, we all lived here."

He blinked. "Here?"

"Yup!"

"In Namimori?"

"Yes."

"Oh..." he trailed off. He had actually been wondering why his former self chose Namimori as the place to stay in once he erased his memories. Now he knew why.

"Tsuna?"

"Huh?" he looked up to see amber and emerald eyes peering down at him and he shook his head. "It's nothing." He said and smiled and started to walk again, not realizing he had stopped. "But wait, if we used to live here, then does that mean that my family is actually here?" he asked, then faltered a little as he remembered Reborn saying something about his mother not being affiliated with Vongola. "Is my mother still here in Namimori or is she living in Italy now as well?" he asked again and he couldn't hide the curiosity and the growing feeling of excitement in meeting his family, wondering what they're like.

However, instead of the cheery responses he got from the two during most of their way back, this time he only got silence in return and he stopped. "Yamamoto? Is something wrong?" he asked as he saw the smile on the dark haired man's face disappear. He turned to the silver haired one "Gokudera-kun?"

Gokduera turned to him, hesitation evident in his eyes and for some reason, a heavy feeling bubbled inside his chest. "Jyuudaime... you see, uh..." Gokudera averted his eyes to somewhere behind Tsuna and wouldn't meet his gaze again.

"Did I ask something wrong?" he asked the two and couldn't help but let annoyance slowly slip in his voice with the way Gokudera was acting. And Yamamoto wouldn't answer either and kept scratching his cheek or the back of his head as if he was afraid of saying something.

A tense silence fell between them before Yamamoto sighed and decided to break it. "You didn't ask anything wrong, Tsuna." He said and Tsuna gave him a look demanding that he explain. "It's just... we don't exactly know how to tell you." He added.

"Tell me what, exactly?" he repeated and crossed his arms.

Yamamoto turned to Gokudera who met his gaze for a couple of seconds before nodding curtly. "About your mother, Jyuudaime." Gokudera spoke, the hesitation still lingering in his voice, and looked straight into his eyes.

He stared back at the green gaze and a horrible feeling of dread suddenly crept inside him, making him feel hesitant about his earlier intention of finding out more about his family, but he still urged himself to ask. "What about her?"

The expression on Gokudera's face didn't change however Tsuna noted something stirred in his eyes, but it had gone as soon as it came and the other suddenly looked a bit more resign and solemn. "Jyuudaime, your mother, she... she's dead."

_End Flashback_

"Well, that's the last of them, Tsuna-san." He blinked as Gokduera's words broke through and he turned to the silver haired man. "Yeah." He said. "What time is it?" he asked, remembering Gokduera saying something about leaving a while ago.

As upset as he was about not being able to find out any more about his mother from Gokudera and Yamamoto yesterday, he was at least thankful that they promised to bring him to see where she lay today, since it was already too late yesterday, and Gokudera had been helpful enough to ask their manager to let them leave a couple of hours early. Though how the other convinced their manager, he had no idea and honestly, didn't really matter to him.

"It's already five minutes after four, Tsuna-san." Gokudera said and turned to look at him. "We should go now before that manager decides to take back his word." He said, the last part coming out with a tinge of annoyance and Tsuna's lips quirked upward and he followed the other as he led them back to the locker rooms.

They timed out and headed to the locker room, but it wasn't until they were both inside that he spoke again. "Yamamoto will be meeting us on the way, right?" he asked as he opened his locker. "Yes, by the intersection a block away from the market." Gokudera answered before busying himself with changing his clothes.

Tsuna stared at him for a bit longer. "And Reborn?" he asked and saw the split second that Gokudera paused before continuing to change into his shirt. "He said he will wait for us there." came the slightly muffled reply and Tsuna decided that he had asked enough and started to change out of his uniform as well.

After a few minutes passed, they were both dressed. Tsuna slung his bag over his shoulder and turned to Gokudera. "Done?" "Yeah." He answered and they both headed toward the door that led to the alley behind the bookstore.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Gokudera spoke. "Jyuudaime." He said, reverting back to the title he used for Tsuna. "Hm?" he turned to the silver haired man and raised a brow at the apologetic look the other was giving him. "Are you angry?" he asked.

Tsuna blinked. "At what?" he asked back as he returned his gaze on the road ahead of him. "About yesterday." Came the answer from Gokudera and Tsuna realized he was talking about the time they didn't permit him to when he asked if he could see his mother's grave. He took a glance at the other walking beside him and hummed. "I'm not really angry." He said and Gokduera looked relieved from the corner of his eye. "I'm a bit upset though, to be honest." He admitted and Gokudera turned to him.

"Not at you." He added quickly, turning to the silver haired man so that he wouldn't get the wrong idea. "Just... I'm not exactly comfortable with this situation." He said and knew that Gokudera understood what he meant. "It's understandable." Came the reply from Gokduera and Tsuna tilted his head sideways. "You didn't agree to letting me visit my mother's grave because you haven't checked that area yet have you?" he spoke once more and Gokduera became silent.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"But Jyuudaime if we could only protect you more-"

"It's not your fault."

Tsuna stared at Gokudera who had a remorseful expression on his face. "I would probably still be running around town being chased by those men if you, Yamamoto and Reborn aren't protecting me. So I should thank you." He paused, looking thoughtful for a moment. "It's just annoying not being able to move freely." He said and Gokduera opened his mouth to speak but was cut off as Yamamoto's voice cut through the air.

"Oh, you're finally here!" both of them turned around to see that Yamamoto was jogging towards them, a cheerful smile on his face. "Did you wait long?" Tsuna asked, his lips turning upward as he saw Gokudera scowl at the other, obviously annoyed at being cut off, and waiting for Yamamoto to answer.

"Nope! Just arrived a few seconds earlier than you guys. I thought was late. Haha!" Yamamoto said, laughing a bit before his eyes turned a more serious expression. "Well then, shall we go?" he asked and Tsuna nodded and Yamamoto moved to his other side opposite to Gokudera and they started walking again. This time however, instead of the silence, it was replaced by the one-sided, boisterous bickering between Gokudera and Yamamoto; the former annoyed at being disrupted while the latter laughing every now and then and saying things completely unrelated which made the other even more annoyed.

Tsuna merely stayed silent as the two go on in their bickering, content with just watching from his place between them. He had the strangest feeling that this was a normal occurrence between the two men and he would end up laughing or commenting every now and then as well. However, as soon as they walked past the residential area; a bit surprised since he hadn't noticed that they headed toward it, and reached the more secluded area of Namimori, both Yamamoto and Gokudera slowly fell silent and Tsuna quietly looked around.

He was familiar with the area since it was near the Namimori forest where he woke up, although instead of taking the small road that led to a dirt path and eventually, the forest, they turned to the road opposite it that had fewer establishments and houses.

They turned a few more corners, the road leading them more uphill, before they arrived at the foot of the mountain where a long staircase led upwards to the temple. A dark figure was standing by the gate, his fedora tilting upwards as they came closer and dark eyes suddenly appeared behind the fedora and raked over them. "Chaos." He greeted.

Gokudera gave a small nod in return while Yamamoto smiled in response. "Sorry for making you wait." Tsuna said, moving closer to Reborn as he said so. "We left the bookstore a little later than expected." He added.

"It's alright." Reborn said before tilting his head toward the stairs. "Are you ready?" he asked and Tsuna turned to the stairs before looking back at Reborn. "Yeah." He said. "Alright." Reborn nodded and gestured for Tsuna to climb up the stairs. "Let's go."

* * *

Author's Notes:

**edit:** *Palistena is an actual town in Southern Italy (I was too groggy last night and forgot to put this so... yeah)

Once again, I'm sorry for the really late update (it almost became a month). I had really bad writer's block when writing Dino's scene and I think it became third POV near the end instead of Dino's POV in the beginning. I'm also not that sure if there are any mistakes in this chapter since I'm already quite groggy and I'm not able to check and proofread it properly. If you see any mistakes, please tell me. ^^

As usual, review and let me know what you think! ^^


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Notes:

Once again I am really, really sorry for the long wait. Aside from life catching up, I was busy at work and at home and I got stuck on several parts while writing this chapter. Hopefully the length can make up for that?

To **Taira-keimei**, your welcome and thanks for reviewing, as always.

To** Guest**, thank you for pointing that out. I quickly changed it when i read your review. :)

To **Shiragiku-chaan**, thank you :)

To **SioQu**, yes, it was Nana. And there's actually more about her in this chapter. maybe this time you can make some theories again.

To **ZucchiniPiupiu**, thank you. I'm glad you like it.

Also, another thing. I want ti thank **Danielle Luna Soulhart** for helping me with this chapter, she is now my beta. After getting stuck several times in this chapter because of a bit of OOC problems I finally asked Danielle to check the chapter for me and tell me if they are or aren't in character. (Gokudera has been giving me a hard time and I have a feeling Gokudera will not cooperate with me in the near future)

And now, without further ado, here is Chapter 17

* * *

Chapter 17

The area was silent except for the occasional chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves swaying with the wind as row upon row of smooth, rectangular grey stones flanked both sides of the small, uphill path they were walking on occupied his vision. Chocolate brown orbs wandered through the cemetery, finding the solemn atmosphere quite tranquil, before settling on Reborn who was walking just a couple of steps ahead of him, leading him to their destination. His eyes then fell onto the white wrapping paper the other man held where a few white lilies currently resided and he suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

Here he was, about to visit his mother after who knows how long and he hadn't even thought about bringing something. Lightly shaking his head, he lifted his gaze onto Reborn's back just as they climbed another stairway before letting it drift off once more on to the bright canopy of trees overhead, giving the pathway a cool shade.

He blinked. Now that he thought about it, the familiar sight of the tree canopies was the very first thing he saw when he woke up at Namimori forest too.

"Is something wrong, Jyuudaime?"

He brought his eyes back down to see three pairs of eyes, two from behind and one from ahead, looking at him and it was then that he realized that he had unconsciously stopped walking. Turning a bit red in embarrassment, he turned to Gokudera. "I-It's nothing." He stuttered before turning back to Reborn whose gaze lingered on him for a second more before walking he started walking again. He quickly followed, trying to ignore the looks Gokudera and Yamamoto were giving him. They probably thought that he had spaced out again even though this time he really just stopped to look at the trees. He knew that they knew about his spacing out thing. It was quite obvious with the way Gokudera asked him earlier in the bookstore, though he wasn't sure whether they were aware that he knew that they knew.

But then, that didn't matter, not right now anyway. What mattered right now was his mother. He was going to see his mother, or rather, the place where she lay. Although he didn't really know anything about her death, since he lost his memories, he couldn't help but feel a mixture of nervousness and a small, almost nonexistent tinge of excitement, as wrong as that sounds when one was visiting their mother's grave.

He supposed he felt that way because he had no memories. He didn't have any recollection of the important people in his life. that was why meeting them, talking, getting to know them of just plain knowing about their relationship was enough to even make him feel like this. And he was going to visit his _mother.._.

"We're here."

Reborn's deep voice brought him back from his thoughts and he looked up, not realizing that he had lowered his head. They were standing a little ways away from the larger path that led from the stairs they climbed up earlier and there were fewer graves in the area. There were also a few more trees since whose branches seemed to bend over them a little more, giving the effect of archways and a several flowers were scattered here and there, both from the surrounding graves and from the flower pots positioned to decorate the place.

Reborn stood a few feet away from him, dark eyes looking over his shoulder to meet his and he suddenly felt his nervousness swell inside him a little bit more. He let his gaze move slowly from Reborn's dark eyes and on to the small corner of the smooth, rectangular grey stone visible behind him and for a moment he felt frozen.

He had been asking, _demanding_, Gokudera and the other's to take him to this very place yesterday when he found out about his mother. But now that he was here, he found himself, nervous, a bit hesitant even, to go nearer to his mother's grave.

No. He wasn't hesitant, he was _afraid_, he was afraid at what he would see, at what he would feel the moment that Reborn would move away and give him a complete view of his mother's grave. He was afraid that the very moment that he saw her grave would ingrain to him that his mother's death was real. The mother that loved him, raised him, and the mother that he longed to meet again now that he'd lost his memories was gone. And he'd never be able to see her again...

"Tsuna?"

This time it was Yamamoto's voice that brought him out of his thoughts but he didn't look back. Instead, he turned his gaze back at Reborn who was still quietly looking, watching, him. Their eyes met for a second, and he felt like Reborn knew about the thoughts and emotions whirling within him and was asking him if he was ready. He then thought about yesterday, when he had found out that his mother was dead, remembered how much he had wanted to see her despite the sudden twisting, empty pain that tugged at his chest and the sudden need to go there, and see and to just _be there_.

After a few seconds that felt like hours, he finally gave a small nod at Reborn and stepped forward; both Gokudera and Yamamoto staying in their place, most likely wanting to give him some space. Reborn kept his eyes on him but stepped away just as he was about a foot away from the grave.

Bracing himself, he slowly let his eyes fall onto the smooth, grey stone; noting the elegance and simplicity of it, before settling his gaze on the name etched in black.

_Sawada Nana_

_19XX – 20XX_

_A loving mother, a great wife._

_May her gentle smile reach us from heaven._

Reading the words, he couldn't help but suddenly feel a strong wave of sadness swell in his chest and a lump in his throat. He didn't remember anything about her; her voice or her face, but for some reason he could see in his mind's eye, vaguely, a woman standing by the gate of a house, smiling ever so gently as her lips moved, saying something.

"_I love you... so much, Tsu-kun."_

And as soon as he had seen it, it was gone; the gate, her smile, those words. It was gone. The only reminder that told him that what he saw was, most likely, a very small fragment of his memory of her, was the feeling of warmth and happiness and, at the same time, the twisting, empty feeling it left inside him.

Taking a breath, he took another couple of steps forward, bringing him right in front of the grave and he kneeled, his eyes never leaving her name as a shaky hand made its way up to touch it and finding the cool surface of the stone oddly soothing to him. He let his hand move along the stone, feeling the rough texture of the strokes of her engraved name. He hadn't known how long it has been since he'd last seen her, or even the last time he had visited her grave. He didn't even know about what he would have talked to her about whenever he would come here to visit her. But as he felt the cool, smooth stone beneath his fingers and the warm, almost nostalgic feeling in his heart, he didn't even think twice at the words that longed to escape his lips as a single tear managed to fall from his eyes.

"Mom," he said softly. "I'm home."

* * *

Something was wrong.

Something felt really wrong.

Reborn stood silently from where he was, a small frown marring his features as he kept his eyes trained on the young don. Ever since the day Tsuna had been chased around by those Mafioso, he had kept his senses on high alert for everything and anything that could pose as a threat to Tsuna's life and eliminated it even before they could come into a five km radius from the brunette. However today, there was hardly any sign of any Mafioso in the whole of Namimori. He, at first, thought that it was a trap; that they would eventually come out as the day went on and he continued his usual check of the town.

But wherever he looked, no matter how high or low he searched, there were hardly any of them to be found. Even Gokudera and Yamamoto had commented on it and Reborn couldn't help but wonder if they were being watched. Of course, he had been suspecting right from the start that there might be something here in Namimori that might give them a clue about Tsuna's disappearance. After all, Namimori, the very first place they searched for the brunette, was the very same place they had found him a year later, memory-less and vulnerable. Even the lowest rank of Mafioso would think it more of being a part of a plan or scheme than that of mere coincidence.

However, the suspicion that they were being watched, that there was indeed someone behind Tsuna's disappearance, his loss of memories and the letter was enough to make him even more cautious and more alert than ever. Heck, even the lack of Mafioso lurking around in every corner was putting him at a perturbed mood and that was definitely saying something.

He let his eyes wander over to the brunette kneeling in front of the grave, fixing the white lilies he had handed over earlier on the flower holder by the foot of Nana's grave, and inwardly sighed. Although the circumstance wasn't really agreeable to him, at least it made it easier to bring Tsuna to see Nana's grave. After all, no matter how dangerous the situation, it wouldn't do to hold Tsuna back from seeing his mother after so long, even if all he would see now was her grave.

"Reborn?"

The quiet voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned his attention back to Tsuna who was now looking at him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I j-just wanted to ask." the brunette stuttered, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes and he look down at his hands. "How did she – how did she die?" he asked, his voice coming out much quieter than before and Reborn stared down at chocolate brown eyes slowly looking up at him expectantly.

"She was killed." He said, watching as a gasp escaped Tsuna and his brown eyes widened in shock. Getting straight to the point was much better than being led around and then finding out the truth later on when everyone else already knew the truth. That was something that has been ingrained in him ever since he had become a hitman and it was also something he had taught the brunette. Just because Tsuna had forgotten doesn't mean he would go easy on the young don.

Tsuna stared at him wide-eyed, his mouth parting slightly open in shock. "H-How..." was the only thing that came from the brunette before Reborn continued. "It wasn't so much as a murder, but more of an accident, really." He said again in attempt to keep the brunette calm enough to listen.

It seemed to work seeing that Tsuna quieted down and went back to looking up at him expectantly and he continued. "A disagreement broke out between Vongola and a rival company after a certain investigation report revealed that that company had been leaking confidential information to several other companies that had been contending with Vongola for years." He started, ignoring the confused expression surfacing on Tsuna's face. "As expected, it had affected Vongola, however not in the way that they had intended it to, and in the end, their plan backfired; heavily affecting their status and image in our world." He explained.

The cause of the 'disagreement' wasn't exactly an information leak. In fact, it hovered over to betrayal since the Gentium Famiglia used to be one Vongola's allies. However when an investigative report from Hibari's Foundation revealed that they were one of those responsible for secretly funding several mercenary groups and Famiglia's that were against Vongola at that time and were causing the large-scale ambushes within Vongola territory. Tsuna, who had just taken over from Nono several months back, decided to confront the Gentium about it, asking why a Famiglia that had stood for almost as long as the Vongola and Cavallione decided to suddenly betray the Vongola like that. However, the Gentium thought that they were being threatened, now that they had been found out, and it was then that things began to turn for the worse.

Tsuna tilted his head slightly, his chocolate brown eyes looking back with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. "What happened to them?"

Reborn leaned back a little as he crossed his arms. "They suffered heavy losses; losing the trust of not only Vongola, but also many other companies and organizations, some breaking off their agreements, others completely cutting ties with them. To put it simply, they were ruined." He concluded.

Tsuna lowered his gaze into his hands, letting the information sink in before he led his gaze back to the gravestone, now adorned with white lilies, an unreadable look in his eyes. "And my mom? You said she wasn't affiliated with Vongola, so what did she have to do with this?" he asked in a curiously, but his voice remained quiet.

"The company had been back into a corner after everything that happened and all of their attempts to get back up were bulldozed down. They became desperate." He answered and glanced at the Tsuna who was still looking at the grave. "So they thought that since they were already going down, why not take Vongola along with it?" Tsuna perked at hearing this and he turned his eyes back to him.

"What did they do?" he asked, a tinge of trepidation replacing the curiosity it had earlier. Reborn tilted his head low, light shadow casting over his eyes. "They thought that simply taking out the current head of Vongola, the one that started all of their problems, would do the job." He paused as he saw chocolate brown eyes widen as realization slowly dawned on the brunette.

"They tried to assassinate you."

In an attempt to clean their slate, the Gentium tried to destroy everything they had that could be used as evidence against them. However Mukuro and Chrome's missions of infiltrating the Famiglias and mercenary groups mentioned in the Hibari's report and gather information about the transactions made between the Gentium and these people had put the Gentium's efforts in the trash. Eventually, the Gentium were removed from the alliance and the other Famiglias it was allied with had abandoned them after learning of their offence. In an act of vengeance and desperation, they attempted to assassinate Vongola Decimo.

Reborn paused after that, waiting for a response from the brunette. However, Tsuna didn't seem to be planning on breaking the silence that fell between them in the short time that Reborn gave him, so Reborn decided to break with a sigh. "It failed, obviously, since you're still standing here alive and well." He said rather casually before his voice regained that seriousness it had since they came here. "But they didn't intend on giving up just yet, at least, not that easily; and since they couldn't get you or your father who was the next most important figure in Vongola, and they definitely could not get Nono, they took the next person available that was still somehow connected to Vongola and very precious to you." He said and as he did so, the color on Tsuna's face disappeared, dread and foreboding clearly showing in his features. "You mean, they..." he trailed off, unable to continue as his voice seemed to have gotten stuck in his throat.

The shadow on Reborn's face grew darker as the sun's rayswas slowly turning to that orange hue signalling it's decent into the horizon. "We tried everything within our power to save your mother; you most of all. We had negotiated countless times, even promising to create an agreement that would most definitely bring back their former status and even more. When those didn't work, we sent out people to rescue her, however..." he paused as the following events of that time flashed back in his mind; of Nana's body left in an abandoned warehouse, signs of blood and torture littering her lifeless body, and of Tsuna, screaming in fury and grief as he held her wordlessly, promising death to those that killed her.

He pushed the memories down quickly, deciding that it wasn't the right time to think about it, and he continued on. "We were too late." he said finally. "The ones who took Nana realized that no matter what they do, they would never be able to take down Vongola nor will they be able to escape the punishment waiting for them. So instead of waiting for Vongola to catch them, they decided that they would at least make the current head suffer for what happened to them." Reborn ended it there. He didn't want to explain it to Tsuna in more detail how Nana died. It was too horrible, cruel even for such a kind and caring woman to die like that. To make matters worse, they had sent a snuff movie out of it and sent it to Tsuna a couple of days after they recovered Nana's body.

"What happened to them after that?"

The stillness of the voice brought him back from his thoughts and he noticed that despite the quiet voice that came from Tsuna, it was enough to cut the suddenly tense air that fell together with the silence. He also noted a tint of anger and the authority the brunette used when negotiating with various dons was evident as the brunette tilted his head towards him, giving him a view of the brunette's cold gaze. Despite the bleakness of their conversation, Reborn inwardly smirked, finally seeing the inner don hidden deep within Tsuna, and answered. "We caught the men a couple of days after we found your mother and they were taken down."

Brows furrowed slightly as a spark of curiosity flashed in chocolate brown orbs. "Taken down?" he repeated. Reborn sighed as he brought a hand up to adjust his fedora. "Let's just say that the Gentium 'Company' ceased to exist after that." He said, frowning a little. He clearly remembered the event that followed after Nana had been found. Tsuna was too overwhelmed by grief and blinded by his hatred for the Gentium that the moment their whereabouts where revealed, the brunette had ran off.

Of course, what followed after that was something that would haunt the young don for the rest of his life.

A moment of silence descended upon them and the sun, now starting to sink, casted an orange glow upon them. Tsuna, after silently listening to Reborn, seemed to be lost in thought as he returned his gaze to his mother's grave, an unreadable expression on his face; and Reborn, seeing that the brunette didn't seem to be in the mood to talk for a while decided to look back to check on the two Guardians standing a few feet away from them.

They were both standing under a large tree with Gokudera looking somewhere to the left, brows furrowed and a frown marring his face, whilst Yamamoto stood by his side, his lips quirked up but wasn't actually forming a smile and his eyes, though still held that same bright gaze, seemed to have another emotion lingering in it. Reborn raised a brow at this. He had noticed the two talking earlier although he hadn't really paid much attention since he was busy talking with Tsuna. But now that he checked the two over again, it seemed like something happened to the two men while he was talking with Tsuna.

Lifting his gaze from the two to look around the area, Reborn decided that he could bother with those two later. After all, he could just interrogate the two and if they didn't answer enough, he could just force them like he always did with Tsuna.

"Reborn?"

At the sound of his mane, his eyes quickly left the view of the setting sun and flew to the brunette still kneeling by his side. Tsuna was holding the thin paper and plastic that was used to cover the white lilies in his hands, playing with it a little as he asked. "I don't get something." He said.

Reborn blinked at the statement before turning back fully to the brunette. "What is it?" he asked and Tsuna looked up at him, eyes seemingly glassy with the orange glow of the sun. "Why would they do such a thing? I understand that they were desperate, but why did they have to kill her? They were the ones who started the disagreement; they were the ones in the wrong. Why did they want to bring down Vongola? Why did my mother have to die?" he said, his tone came out as if he was asking Reborn as well as himself.

"I've told you before, Vongola is one of the largest and most powerful and influential companies in the world. It is expected that whatever Vongola does would greatly affect almost everyone and everything connected to it."

"That doesn't answer my question."

The orange hue on Tsuna's eyes made it look like how it did when the brunette activated his Dying Will flames and met Reborn's gaze evenly. Reborn stared back, letting his gaze linger on Tsuna for a second more before sighing and then slowly lifted his gaze to the orange-tinted sky.

"There are... some people who can't stand being at the same spot forever and would eventually desire to raise themselves to the top; no matter who or what they trample along the way." He said, and then looked down to meet the orange brown gaze. "The Gentium had been secretly envious of Vongola's status as the largest and most powerful among them all and had sought to bring it down. Unfortunately, your mother had been accidentally dragged in the mess of our world and she lost her life." Something flickered in the orange-brown eyes and Tsuna's jaw hardened as he heard this and lowered his head. Reborn placed his hands inside his pockets once again, knowing that the brunette would not be able to trace a single tinge of lie in his words. It was, after all, how the world worked; both in the mafia and the outside world. It just so happened that the ways of the mafia was much colder and cruel than that of the outside and Tsuna had to experience it firsthand just months after taking up the mantle of Vongola.

Minutes ticked by in silence as the sun slowly continued it's decent. The sky was now painted in the hues of fiery orange, pink and blue, signalling that the day would end in an hour or so. After sending a quick glance at his watch, Reborn spoke. "It's getting late, we should go back now." When he received a nod from the brunette, he then turned to Gokudera and Yamamoto, gesturing for them that they were leaving before he led Tsuna back to the path they had walked.

Yamamoto and Gokudera walked side by side with Tsuna, each sending worried glances at the brunette as they walked. Tsuna hadn't spoken since they left Nana's grave. Reborn mused that the information of Nana's death hard to accept. After all, he had just found out about her yesterday and now he knew how horrible her death had been.

They were halfway down the large stone stairs when Tsuna finally decided to break the silence. "Reborn." he called and stopped, making both Gokudera and Yamamoto halt in their steps as well. Reborn looked back and saw firm chocolate brown eyes staring back at him.

"Can you take me somewhere else?"

* * *

The gleam of the name plate came out dim and dull as the slowly dwindling light from the setting sun barely hit the wall it was plastered to. Tsuna stared at it, reading the name 'Sawada' engraved on it before turning away from it to look at the house encased within the wall. "So," he started. "this is my home." he let his eyes roam around the house, trailing over every window and door and other details he could see from where he stood. It was ordinary-looking enough, and far from what Tsuna imagined given his position in Vongola, with two floors and a small balcony on the second floor facing the street.

"Would you like to go inside, Jyuudaime?" Gokudera asked from beside him and he silently nodded, eyes still lingering on the house before he turned back to Gokudera who had reached out to open the gate. It opened noiselessly and they quietly shuffled in, Gokudera leading the way. Tsuna looked around more and blinked as a sudden thought popped in his head. "Is someone living here?" he asked.

Gokudera, who was just a couple of steps away from the front door, stopped and turned to look at him. "No, Jyuudaime, is there something wrong?" he asked. Tsuna shook his head. "Ah, no, it's just that this house seemed to be really well maintained and since you said that I was in Italy before I came here and that my mother's... well..." he faltered a bit, looking down at his shoes as he referred to his mother being dead, before he returned his eyes to the Japanese Italian. "I kinda assumed that no one lives here anymore." He said, trying to push down the pang of pain that rose when he mentioned his mother, hoping that none of the other three would notice.

He wasn't sure if Gokudera had noticed and was just pretending or he didn't notice it at all, since the silver haired man didn't do or say anything that indicated so. Instead, Gokudera turned to face him and answered. "About that," he started. "No one's really lived here since Nana-sama's... death." he looked slightly uncomfortable as he said this but just as he was about to continue, Yamamoto cut him in. "You often stayed over here though Tsuna; whenever you came to visit Japan." The taller man said and grinned when he received a glare from Gokudera. "You also had some people come regularly to keep the house clean and stuff. But usually it was I-pin who does that." Yamamoto added, saying the last part mostly to himself as if in thought.

"Oh, I see." He said before turning his eyes back to the front door. "Would you like to go in first, Jyuudaime?" Gokudera asked, noticing the inquisitive look he was giving it, and he slowly nodded as Gokudera stepped back, allowing him to reach for the door knob. He turned the knob before pushing the door open and a dim hallway came to view.

They stepped in, leaving their shoes at the genkan and entered the house. Tsuna looked around. There was a shoe cabinet near the door and a side table stood on one side in the middle of the hallway with a telephone sitting on top. To his right was the stairs and throughout the hallway were three doorways and a door, most likely the bathroom. They went inside.

"Haha! How nostalgic." Yamamoto commented as he, too, looked around. "Oh, I wonder if that baseball I left in the living room is still around." He thought aloud before turning to Tsuna. "I'll just go take a look!" he said cheerfully and waited for Tsuna to give a small nod before walking towards one of the doorways. "You baseball idiot! How dare you just stroll around Jyuudaime's house like it's your own! Come back here!" Gokudera shouted as he strode after Yamamoto.

"Haha! Calm down, Gokudera. I'm just checking if my baseball's still here – oh look! It's still here!"

"I don't care about that stupid baseball! Apologize to Jyuudaime!"

"Now now, I asked Tsuna if I can look around and he said okay, so – oh look Gokudera! That magazine about UMA's is yours right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it is. So this is where I left it – the hell! You're not listening again!"

"Haha!"

A small smile made its way to his face as Tsuna listened to the two bicker from his place in the hallway. It seemed that this place was not only his home but also home for Yamamoto and Gokudera. And based from what he was told, Reborn probably stayed here too, since he said that he tutored him. A relatively strong slap suddenly hit him at the back of his head and he turned to the only other person standing beside him. "Reborn! What did you do that for?" he asked, a hand instinctively going up to rub the spot in his head that the dark haired man hit.

"You looked like an idiot; staring into space like that with a grin on your face." Came Reborn's answer and Tsuna half frowned half glared at the man before Reborn spoke again. "Aren't you going to explore your house? You did, after all, say that you wanted to come here." he said, crossing his arms.

Tsuna continued to rub his head. "I did! I was about to look at my room before you smacked me in the head." he said, frowning a bit more as Reborn smirked. He wanted to see the place he grew up in; the placed he lived together with his mother. He wanted to see if going back to his home would give him some answers to a few more questions that had been popping up in his head ever since he had met Reborn and the others.

He turned to Reborn. "Aren't you going to look around too? I'm guessing you've also stayed here since you said you were my tutor." He asked the older man. Reborn raised a brow at that. "Not really." He answered before the smirk returned to his face. "Besides, I doubt you actually remember where your room is." He said and his smirk grew as Tsuna felt his face heat up in embarrassment. "W-What! O-Of c-course I do! It's probably in the second floor!" he said defensively as he quickly stomped his way to the stairs, Reborn following after him still smirking.

"Probably?"

"I-It's in the second floor!"

"And how are you sure?"

"... Intuition!"

"If you say so, dame-Tsuna."

"Stop calling me that!"

They arrived at the second floor with Tsuna still red and Reborn still smirking. Still embarrassed at Reborn's taunting, Tsuna quickly glanced around to find three doors and inwardly groaned. He had three rooms to guess from, one would lead to his room... probably, if the feeling in his gut was right. He glanced back at Reborn who was still smirking and looked down right amused before turning back to the doors.

There was one near the stairs, one located at the end of the hall and one in between the two. Looking at it now, something was telling him that his room was the one at the end of the hall. Decided, he took one more glance at Reborn before heading towards the farthest door.

He reached over to the door knob and took a quick glance at Reborn as his hand rested on it. Seeing no change in the other's reaction, even the amused glint in his eyes was still there. He turned the knob and pushed the door open. The last rays of the sun came in through the window, casting an orange tint on everything and Tsuna had to squint for a moment. When he got used to the light, he opened his eyes wider and he looked around.

There was a small table in the middle of the room, a desk and chair on the far wall next to the large window and the bed sat a little ways under it from its place in the corner of the room. A cabinet was located on the wall to the right and then a bookshelf filled with manga and books, a TV, game console and several stacks of CD's on the left.

"So, this is my room, right?" he turned to Reborn who was looking at him, the glint of amusement gone from his eyes. "Yes." The older man answered as his dark eyes roamed around the room as well. "Though it was much messier before; clothes scattered on the floor, manga littering the desk and a bunch of failed test papers hidden in the drawer." He added as he headed over to the desk.

"W-What?" Tsuna squeaked as he whipped his head to Reborn, momentarily forgetting about the huge collection of manga on the bookshelf. "F-Failed tests?" he stuttered and watched as Reborn opened a drawer. "Oh good, they're still here." He said and Tsuna hastily shuffled beside him, glanced at the bunch of papers in the other's hand and promptly shrieked.

He received another smack from Reborn. "Your noisy." He said while Tsuna rubbed his head once more, still staring at the papers on Reborn's hand. "I-Is t-that a f-fifty?" he mumbled and Reborn looked at the paper. "No. It's a thirty."

"Hiiieee!"

"This one's a ten."

"Stop! I don't wanna hear anymore!"

"Oh look, a five."

"Oh my God please stop."

"Dame-Tsuna."

"Stop calling me that!" Tsuna cried in embarrassment as he snatched the papers from Reborn's hands and stared at the papers all marked with red ink, grimacing. He could not believe that he had such low marks back when he was in school, was that why Reborn kept calling him dame-Tsuna? And to think they said that he was now the head of Vongola. That must mean that he had greatly improved through the years for him to be able to head a company. He casted a sideway glance at Reborn. Was Reborn's teaching methods really effective then?

Taking one last look at the papers, he went back to the drawer to put them back when he noticed several picture frames adorning the top of his desk. Placing the papers back, he closed the drawer and took the frame closest to him. It was a picture of him looking much younger being hugged by a woman who was slightly taller than him, probably by an inch or two. She had short, dark brown hair that came just above her chin and almost had the same eyes as him except for the color. His was chocolate brown while hers was more of coffee brown.

"That's Nana."

He felt his shoulders jerk in surprise and he faced Reborn who was looking at him. "Y-You mean, this woman is..."

"She's your mother." Reborn said.

He turned his attention back to the picture frame, at the woman that held him. This was the woman that gave him life, raised him and loved him. This woman was his mother. He kept his eyes on her face, memorising her smile, her bright eyes and the love she could see in the hug she was giving him in the picture and he couldn't help but feel a pang of pain and regret. He would never see her again. He would never be able to meet her, or feel her hugs or even see that smile directed at him.

She was dead.

And he 'forgot' her.

He chewed the inside of his cheek to redirect his attention away from the thought and instead of lingering on about his mother; he turned his eyes towards the other picture frames on the desk.

He picked up another frame as he placed his mother's down simultaneously, blinked and let out a smile. He was once again in the picture together with several others; three of them babies, and his expression was so flabbergasted that he wanted to laugh. It also didn't help that the other people around him in the picture had equally funny faces. Standing somewhere behind him on both sides were the younger looking Yamamoto and Gokduera, the latter looking surprised while the former had an angry expression and seemed to be shouting as he held a – was that dynamite? – on his other hand. He stared at the stick of dynamite Gokudera was holding. From the small orange blur on the flint, it looked as if it was ignited. But surely Gokudera wasn't holding onto a real stick of dynamite... would he?

He continued to stare as his mind tried to reason that it was impossible. Moreover, where the heck would a middle school student get dynamite from? It was illegal. But then again, a smaller voice in his mind reminded him that Yamamoto knew how to use a sword and actually fight with it and that Gokudera and dynamite didn't seem to be strange, and for some reason, he couldn't help but agree. But still...

Lightly shaking his head, he pushed the thoughts away opting to just ask Gokudera about it later on and settled onto the others. Two girls to be exact. He really didn't recognize them. Though, judging from the picture they seemed quite close to him, with one of the girls standing close by and the other grabbing his arm, which most likely was the cause for all of their unprepared expressions. He stared at the two intently.

The girl on his right had short, auburn hair and had a surprised expression on her face as she looked towards Tsuna and the other girl. She was also holding on to a toddler, probably around five years old, that had a pair of horns sticking out of his black afro and was wearing a cow-printed suit. The girl grabbing his arm on the other hand, had dark hair tied to a ponytail had a few hair clips on her hair and was sending a peace sign to the camera. She also wore a different uniform than the rest of them.

And then there were the two other babies. Aside from the cow-print wearing kid, there was also a small Chinese girl sitting on Yamamoto's shoulder, her black hair in a braid that stuck upwards, and a fedora wearing baby that was sitting on top of... his head?

Tsuna blinked a few times in confusion and stared once more to confirm that the baby was indeed sitting on his head. Add to that the fact that he was looking completely comfortable as well. He frowned at the picture. That baby was reminding him of someone, but he wasn't sure who.

"Hey Reborn."

"What?"

"Who's this kid with the fedora?" he asked, showing the picture to Reborn. Reborn stepped closer to get a better view of the picture.

"It's me."

"...what?"

"This cool-looking kid is me."

"You're kidding." A smack was received the moment these words left his lips and he stumbled, stepping back a couple of steps before regaining his balance. "Reborn! What did you do that for?" he asked as he, yet again, rubbed his head.

"You're being dame again, dame-Tsuna." Was Reborn's reply and Tsuna, wanting to stop being the receiving end of Reborn's unforgiving hand, let it be, even though he still thought that Reborn was kidding, and instead gestured to the other two kids in the picture. "Alright, the fedora wearing kid is you, who're the other two?"

"The the Chinese girl is I-pin and the stupid cow is called Lambo." Reborn said. "That's mean! You didn't have to call this kid a stupid cow." He said, frowning at Reborn. "The stupid cow is a stupid cow, especially when he was younger. You just forgot how much of a stupid cow he is." The older man said, sighing as he did so. The frown on Tsuna's face grew as he heard this, but he decided to remain silent lest he be smacked again. Instead, he returned his attention to the two.

I-pin and Lambo.

He was sure Yamamoto mentioned the name I-pin earlier when he asked about the house being well maintained and he wondered how these two kids were related to him. The neighbour's kids probably?

"By the way, who're these two girls, Reborn?" He asked, showing the picture again to the older man. Reborn's dark eyes moved over the picture and Tsuna thought he saw a slight change in the man's eyes for a split second before it returned to normal. "The one holding the stupid cow is Sasagawa Kyoko while the other one holding on to you is Miura Haru." Reborn answered.

"I see." He said as he turned the picture back so that he could look at it again. He noted to himself to ask about the two girls again. Something told him that there was something more to than normal. The way Reborn's eyes suddenly changed in that short second was making him wonder. It also wasn't the first time he'd seen the other do that. He'd seen it earlier when he had asked about his mother. Something was telling him that there was more to the story somehow.

Inwardly sighing, he pushed the thoughts away and placed the frame back on the desk beside the one with his mother in it and with that, he took the last and largest picture frame on the desk and looked at it. He blinked. There were a lot of people in it. Aside from him, Yamamoto and Gokudera, there were probably around ten or more people with them. He also noticed that the two girls were there, standing to his left, as well as Lambo and I-pin; and 'baby-Reborn', as he'd decided on calling, was standing near the corner of the picture. He also noticed that just like the second picture, this one was also probably taken without their knowledge because no one was looking at the camera and it looked like utter chaos.

He looked like he was in the midst of falling to the ground, the cow-print kid, Lambo, was standing on his head, Kyoko was looking at him with a mixture of surprise and worry while Haru looked shocked. Behind him, like in the previous picture, was Yamamoto and Gokudera; the dark haired teen had both hands up in a placating manner while Gokudera looked annoyed and was jumping away as Tsuna was falling down.

Tsuna stared at the Japanese Italian's hand, sure that what the silver haired teen was holding dynamites in the picture. His lips quirked downward; he'd have to ask about that later.

He then turned to the other people he didn't know yet. Beside Haru was a woman facing in his direction. She had long rose-coloured hair and was wearing a pair of goggles. Tsuna blinked and squinted as he stared at what she had in hand. Was that a purple cake? His brows furrowed as he stared at it more and noticed that it also seemed to be emitting some kind of purple smoke.

"Reborn?" he called. "What is it this time dame-Tsuna?" the voice came from behind and he turned to see that Reborn was looking at the bookshelf. "Who's this woman?" he asked and pointed to the woman with rose-colored hair. Reborn turned to look at the picture. "That's Bianchi." He said and Tsuna looked down at the picture again. "Oh..."

"She's also my fourth lover."

Tsuna snapped his head upward so fast that he was sure he heard his neck crack, but he as too surprised to notice if it hurt or not. "F-Fourth lover?" he repeated and a smirk grew on Reborn's face. "She's also Gokudera's older sister." He added.

Tsuna stared at Reborn. He didn't know if he was too shocked at the image of Reborn as a playboy, the 'fourth' lover would attest to that, or that Reborn, if it really worked out between him and Bianchi, was related to Gokudera.

"Someone's staring like an idiot again."

The sadistic amusement in Reborn's voice brought him out of his horror-induced thoughts and he shrieked. "Hiiiieeeee don't hit me again!" he shrieked as he quickly stepped back, raising the picture frame over his head as a shield and closed his eyes. A few seconds passed by before he heard a sigh and a muttered "Dame-Tsuna." which prompted Tsuna to open his eyes and take a peek from underneath the frame. Just as he did so, something hard hit his forehead and he yelped in pain. Reborn had flicked his forehead so hard Tsuna was sure the spot it hit was red.

"What did you do that for?" he asked the older man, rubbing his forehead.

"You were shrieking like a girl." Reborn retorted nonchalantly and Tsuna pouted. He wanted to point out that he wouldn't be shrieking if Reborn hadn't been making him paranoid by smacking him in the head several times, but seeing as that would most likely be followed by another hit on the head, he decided to just stop.

"You're getting smarter." Reborn said and Tsuna looked back, wondering if the older man had read his mind. "Not really, you're just really easy to read." Reborn said again and this time, Tsuna decided he'd just go back to the frame he was holding. It was much safer than keeping up with Reborn's antics.

He took one more look at Bianchi, realizing that he'd forgotten to ask about the purple cake, before turning to look at the person next to her. Somewhere between Haru and Bianchi was a little boy, probably around ten or so, and had light brown hair and eyes. He, just like Kyoko, had a shocked and worried look, though his expression was more on shocked, as he watched Lambo stepping on Tsuna's head.

Then there was the other girl around the same age as Kyoko and Haru stood beside Bianchi. She had dark purple hair that framed her face and had a few short strands standing at the back. She also had an eye-patch on her right eye that was decorated with a skull and was looking in a timidly worried fashion to her right where his younger self was. Beside her was a man who had a similar hairstyle except that his resembled a pineapple more than the girl's and his hair was a shade lighter. He also had hetechromatic eyes, one blue and the other red, and was smiling mischievously at the commotion. He briefly wondered if the two of them were related. Sibling perhaps? Or something along those lines.

He took a quick glance at Reborn and decided that he'd probably ask about them later. Or better yet, maybe he should just ask Gokduera or Yamamoto about them.

Looking back at the picture, he turned to the other side where Yamamoto stood and he saw a boy, a little shorter than Yamamoto with short white hair and bandages on his hands. He wondered what the boy was actually doing; standing with his back facing the camera and his hands, closed into fists, were raised up as if he was cheering in victory. I-pin was standing near the boy's feet. Her eyes had that admiring, adoring look as she stared at the black haired boy that was somewhere beside the one with white hair.

He was wearing a school uniform although he was just wearing the coat over his shoulders, making it look like a cape. The boy was glaring, though to Tsuna it looked more like annoyed, at the white haired one beside him and had – are those tonfas? – in hand and, based from the stance, was ready to strike the other. And to that boy's right was a tall blonde. Judging from his looks, he was a foreigner and was most likely older by a few years. His features were, however, not really that different from his as something between a grimace and yelp marred his face. It seems that the tonfa-wielding boy had accidentally hit him as he whipped out his tonfas and hit the blonde in the ribs.

Tsuna continued to stare at the picture, letting his eyes trail over each and every individual once more before looking at it as a whole.

The picture, at first glance, looked rather... peculiar, if not outright weird and downright funny. But in his honest opinion, the picture, though it looked rather chaotic, seemed like a lot of fun and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. A small smile made its way to his lips as Tsuna continued to stare at the picture.

"Jyuudaime!"

"Haha! There's no need to run Gokudera."

"Shut up you baseball idiot!"

The sound of footsteps was heard before the door swung open again and Tsuna and Reborn turned just in time to see both Gokudera and Yamamoto enter the room. "See, I told you Tsuna was in his room." The taller of the two said cheerfully. Gokudera sent a glare to Yamamoto before facing tsuna and bowing. "I'm sorry Jyuudaime! I got so engrossed in reading that magazine about UMA's and I totally forgot that I left you on your own by the door!" he cried apologetically as he continued to bow fervently.

"I-It's okay, Gokudera-kun! It's okay! Please just stop bowing." Tsuna said, raising his hands up in attempt to placate the other. He really didn't know how Gokudera could handle bowing continuously in such speed. Just watching it was making him dizzy.

Gokudera raised his head just as he was in the middle of bowing yet again and stared at him. "Well, if you say so Jyuudaime..." the Japanese Italian said before standing straight again and blinked. "Jyuudaime, what's that?" Gokudera asked. Tsuna followed his gaze and realized that Gokudera was looking at the picture frame that he was still holding. "Oh, um, I saw it on the desk and was just looking it over when you guys came." He said and held out the frame for the two to see.

The two men looked at the picture, Gokudera looking straight at it while Yamamoto peered over the silver haired man's shoulder. "Hey, I haven't seen this picture for a long time. It brings back some memories." Yamamoto said as his smile grew a bit more. "Che. The stupid cow shouldn't have stepped on Jyuudaime's head!" Gokudera scowled, though Tsuna noted that there was no actual sign of annoyance or anger in the man's voice.

"Haha! Hibari looks really annoyed here! Senpai poked him on the head before the camera went off didn't he?" Yamamoto laughed and Tsuna instinctively perked up upon hearing the name. "Hibari?"

Gokudera and Yamamoto stopped then and turned to him. "Yep. Hibari. He's this guy here with the tonfas." Yamamoto said, showing the picture back to him and pointed at the boy with the tonfas. "He's whole name's Hibari Kyouya." He added.

Tsuna looked at the tonfa-wielding boy, remembering the mane. "And this one?" he asked pointing to the white haired boy that wasn't facing the camera. "Sasagawa Ryouhei, but you can just call him turf-top Jyuudaime." Gokudera said nonchalantly and Tsuna sputtered. "W-What?"

"Oh, and this stupid cow that dared to step on your head is called Lambo." Gokudera continued as he pointed to the cow-print wearing kid.

"W-Wait, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna said loudly making Gokudera stop immediately. "U-Um, I already know Lambo, I-pin, Kyoko, Haru and Bianchi." He said and after receiving questioning looks from the two, he added. "I already asked Reborn when I saw that picture." He pointed to the second frame glancing at Reborn.

"Oh." Yamamoto blinked. "Well then, we'll just tell you who the others are then." he said grinning. "Where do you want to start? We already mentioned Hibari and sempai."

Tsuna looked over the picture again. "This one." He pointed to the two people standing to the left of Bianchi. Gokudera looked and huffed. "The pineapple duo." He started and Tsuna raised a brow but didn't say anything so Gokudera continued. "The girl with the eyepatch is Chrome Dokuro and the one with the creepy smile is Rokudo Mukuro." He said and Tsuna pointed to the brown haired kid next to Haru. "That's Fuuta, he's a really nice kid." Yamamoto answered this time.

"And this one?" Tsuna asked once more, pointing to the last person in the picture that he didn't know the name of. "Dino Cavallione." This time it was Reborn who answered making Tsuna turned to him. "He's also my former student."

"Oh..." Tsuna turned back to the picture before a thought popped in his mind and he quickly snapped up to Reborn again. "EH?" he said unintelligently earning confused stares from Yamamoto and Gokudera and a raised brow from Reborn.

"Is something wrong, Jyuudaime?" Gokudera asked.

Tsuna shook his head. "N-No." He answered quickly glancing in between the blonde in the picture and at Reborn. If Reborn had been his tutor since he was fourteen and Dino, who looked just around his age now from the way he looked in the picture was his former student, which meant that it was years before he met Reborn that he had been tutoring Dino. If that was so, then...

Tsuna took one last glance at the fedora wearing man and wondered. Just how old was Reborn exactly?

"I heard that Dame-Tsuna."

"Hiiiiieeeee! I'm sorry! I'm never guessing your age again!" he shrieked and instinctively ran behind a laughing Yamamoto in fear of being hit again.

"You better be." Reborn said before glancing out the window then at his watch. "Anyway, we should get going. It's getting late." he said and headed out of the room. Gokudera and Yamamoto glanced at each other before facing him. "Come on, Tsuna. Reborn's right, we should get going." Yamamoto said grinning. "We can come back here on another day, Jyuudaime. You look tired." Gokudera added.

The moment Gokudera said those words it was only then did he realize that he was actually tired. Moreover, he had been experiencing a whirlpool of emotions ever since Reborn had told him about his mother's death. He had to admit, he felt tired and drained.

He let out a sigh. "Alright." He said finally and took one more look around the room and back to the first frame where the picture of him and his mother was displayed before he placed the frame he was holding back on the desk and then headed for the door where Gokudera and Yamamoto were waiting for him.

Reborn was waiting for them outside just a few steps from the gate. The sun had sunk and only a tinge of red orange was left in the horizon painting the sky in shades of pink, indigo and baby blue and the streetlights were already lit.

They had started walking back towards his apartment and although the cool wind felt soothing, for some reason he didn't feel quite at ease at the silence that fell over them. "Hey, Gokudera-kun." He started. Immediately, Gokudera turned to him. "Yes Jyuudaime?" "Those people in the picture I showed you... Reborn said that the girl – Kyoko's – family name is Sasagawa. Isn't that the same as... " he trailed off as he tried to remember which of all those names he was told belonged to the boy with white hair.

"Oh, you mean senpai?" Yamamoto chirped and he nodded finally remembering the boy's name was Ryouhei when Yamamoto spoke. "Yeah, they're siblings. Actually, Kyoko was also our classmate back in middle school." Yamamoto crossed his arms over his head. "And senpai is a couple of years older than us."

"Oh. And the others?" he continued to ask despite noticing something different in the taller man's smile. He had seen something similar when he asked Reborn about Kyoko and Haru earlier. But since his head was already feeling a full with all of the things he'd been told about earlier, he decided he'd tuck those questions away in his mind. For now.

"Hmm, Chrome's also in the same class as us. But that wasn't until a year after we met her that she transferred to our school." Yamamoto said. "That girl with the ponytail and stupid expression was also in the same grade, but a different school." Gokudera added and Tsuna immediately thought back to the picture and realized that Gokudera was talking about Haru. Then he remembered the woman with the rose-colored hair. "What about that woman; her name was Bianchi." He said and saw Gokudera stiffen slightly at the mention of her name. "Reborn said that she's your sister." He added.

Gokudera suddenly seemed to stiffen at the mention of her name and looked back at him with his face looking a bit pale, a pained-looking smile on his face. "A-Ah, yes Jyuudaime. She's my sister." He said rather stiffly before quickly turning over to him, both hands suddenly grasping Tsuna by the shoulders. "If you meet her, Jyuudaime, please – _please_ – do not eat anything she offers you." He said in a tone that he had never heard the silver-haired man use before and all Tsuna could do was blink and wonder silently why the other suddenly looked a bit desperate.

"A-Alright, Gokudera-kun." He managed to say and as if it had never happened, the weird expression on Gokduera's face disappeared in a blink of an eye and continued to speak about the others as if he hadn't just been warning him of something about Bianchi. Tsuna found the reaction strange but listened quietly as Gokudera told him that Mukuro, just like Chrome, was from Kokuyo and was the same age as Ryouhei, that Hibari was the head of the Disciplinary Committee of their school and was the oldest among all of them aside from his sister and Dino and that the blonde Italian was, like him, the heir of one of Vongola's longest business partners, the Cavallione.

Gokudera also mentioned that the three children, I-pin, Lambo and Fuuta, used to live with Tsuna and his mother. When he asked why, Reborn said that they had problems in their own families and his mother was kind enough to let them stay at their house and treated them as if they were her own until they decided to go with Tsuna to Italy.

This startled him a quite a bit. "You mean they live with me back in Italy?" he asked and both Yamamoto and Gokudera nodded. "Actually Jyuudaime, Lambo and I-pin are also part of Vongola. As well as the other's." He said and Tsuna whipped his head to face the silver haired man. "Wait a minute." He said. "Are you saying all of those people in the picture work in Vongola?" he asked.

Gokudera shook his head. "Not everyone Jyuudaime." He answered. "As I said, Dino belongs to Cavallione and as for those two." He paused. "Sasagawa and the stupid woman aren't part of Vongola." He said truthfully.

Tsuna blinked. "Oh. Then, where are they now?" he asked, though the moment the words left his lips he felt that he said something wrong because he saw Gokudera's shoulders stiffen up in a barely discernable way and Yamamoto's smile suddenly looked strained.

"They're both in Italy." Tsuna turned to his left where Reborn was walking beside him. "So they moved there as well?" he asked before sparing a glance towards Gokudera and Yamamoto only to see that the two were back to normal. "Yes, although it was years later after you left Japan that they went to Italy." Reborn answered.

Tsuna stared at the fedora wearing man for a few seconds. "I see." he returned his eyes to the road ahead and it was then that he realized that he was only a few blocks away from his apartment. An uncomfortable silence fell over them. "Jyuudaime-" Gokudera started but was cut off when a ringing sound was heard and he sighed. "It's mine." He said as he reached into his pocket to take out his phone. He took one glance at the caller ID and something akin to apprehension flashed in his eyes before excusing himself and answering the phone a few steps away.

Tsuna watched Gokudera as he answered the call and spoke in a different language that he assumed was Italian before turning back to the other two. "Um, anyway, since Gokudera's busy, I can just go back to my apartment on my own. It's jsut a couple of blocks away anyw-"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!? THOSE IDIOTS DID WHAT!?"

All three of them quickly turned to Gokudera who had a mixture of anger, annoyance and incredulity marring his features as he unconsciously turned to Italian, barking orders to the person on the other end of the call. Finally, after a while the silver haired man ended the call with an angry huff and turned back to them with a scowl on his face.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Tsuna asked. Gokudera turned to him, the scowl on his face lessening. "Something annoying came up Jyuudaime. I have to return to Italy." Gokudera said, his voice tinged with annoyance and an apology.

"Eh? But you just came back." He said feeling a bit disappointed. Gokudera had just returned from Italy the other day and he still had a lot of things he wanted to ask the man himself. Like those dynamites in the picture for example. "It's sort of an emergency, Jyuudaime." Gokudera answered before quickly raising his hands up in a slightly panicky sort of reassuring manner. "But don't worry! It's nothing serious! I just have to be there more for symbolic reasons since I'm currently the OIC. That's all." He said hastily. Tsuna stared at the Japanese Italian. He had seemed both Reborn and Yamamoto seemingly become more attentive when Gokudera mentioned the word 'emergency'. And judging from that, he supposed that whatever the call was, it was probably something about Vongola.

"I see." He said finally. "Then, I guess I'll see you when you come back then?" he asked, tilting his head a little to the side. "Of course, Jyuudaime." Gokudera said steadfastly and Tsuna couldn't help but smile at that. However, when the three men started to continue walking towards the direction they were going, he raised his hands. "Ah, no. It's – um – it's okay! I can walk back to my apartment on my own." He said.

"But Jyuudai-"

"Tsuna-"

"It's only a couple of blocks away from here. Plus you said there was an emergency." He faced Gokudera. "I'm sure I can get there safely on my own, Gokudera-kun." He smiled reassuringly at them before he started to take a few steps towards his apartment. "Well then, see you tomorrow Reborn, Yamamoto. Take care Gokudera-kun." he said before heading off. He heard Gokudera and Yamamoto call after him. But none of them ran after him so he assumed it they let him go.

Well, he had to admit that leaving them there was a bit sudden. But after having so many things crammed into his head, he felt like he needed a moment of peace for himself so he could think. Plus there were those expressions that seemed to surface whenever he brought up a few topics. His mother, for one and those two girls, Kyoko and Haru...

He turned the corner and he found his pace slowing down as his mind fell into thinking. He couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right when he asked those three about the things in his life. He felt that there was still more they hadn't told him. That there was something they _weren't_ telling him; that's what the small voice inside him was telling him.

A passing old lady broke him out of his thoughts and he gave a small nod when the old lady smiled at him as she passed. The turned another corner and he finally saw his apartment and it was then that he seemed to remember how tired he felt. Sighing, he stretched, trying to get rid of the lethargy he was suddenly feeling before he ran a hand through his messy brown hair, slightly massaging it as he felt the beginnings of a headache coming.

"I guess whatever it is they haven't told me yet; I can just ask them again tomorrow." He said to himself as he looked at the night sky.

* * *

The continuous sound of tapping resounded through the dark, empty space of the warehouse. The night was dark with the presence of a new moon, disabling any form of light to enter through the shattered windows and the only source of illumination in the area was the dim light coming from the laptop perched on the lap of a spiky-haired man sitting by the edge of a relatively large pile of old, dusty boxes that took up most of the space on the left, corner most part of the warehouse. Several wrappings of various snacks and drinks littered the floor around him together with the seemingly tangled wires that pooled around his feet before wounding its way towards a much smaller room located at the back of the warehouse and a large grin similar to that of a child enjoying his new toy was plastered on his face as he read the contents of the screen humming happily as he did so.

"Well now, you certainly look happy."

The tapping of the keyboard keys stopped and the spiky-haired man looked over his shoulder to see that the hooded man was watching him on his usual seat on top of the boxes. "Of course I am. Things are starting to get interesting." He said in a sing-song tone as his grin broadened. "And the plan is going well." He added before reaching over to one of the snacks and opened it.

The hooded figure watched the other as he ate before turning his eyes around to look at their meeting place created from walls of dusty old boxes and rusty machinery. "Yes. I suppose that it is going rather well." He said finally.

The man on the laptop slowed his eating, eyes averting from the snack to look at the hooded man. "Something wrong?"

"Nothing. Just tired."

The spiky-haired man stared at the hooded man, a calculative look surfacing in his eyes as he let it roam to the other's body. "You're starting to feel the effects, huh." He said after a moment

The hooded man remained silent. "Then again, I guess that's to be expected since you've used it three times already." the man on the laptop said casually, paying no mind to the hooded man's lack of an answer, tilting his head towards the other. "And you're going to use it again." He said with an impish smile grazing his lips.

"I will use it again and again if it means that I will be able to exact my revenge." the hooded man said coldly.

"For your revenge, huh." The impish smile on the spiky-haired man's face softened ever so slightly as he heard this before returning to normal. "And I suppose I'm the one who's still tasked of preparing everything else?" he asked, tone light and cheerful and the hooded man turned his head towards him. "I know. I'm sorry about that." He said in a rather apologetic tone that made the spiky-haired man blink in surprise before laughing so hard that the laptop perched on his lap almost fell. "You say the funniest things sometimes. Suddenly apologizing like that..." He said in between breaths. "Anyway, that guy's rather late, isn't he? He's still not here." the man said as he repositioned his laptop.

"No, he's here." The hooded man said and just as he did so, a presence made itself known and both men looked towards the direction of the small opening between the boxes and a large cylindrical machine where a tall man stood. "You're late." he said to the tall man.

The tall man raised a brow at that. "You do know that you never set a time for these meetings, right?" he said before walking closer to where the two others were. "Moreover, I'm not exactly free to roam wherever I want unlike you two. And I can't just up and leave. They'd know." He said quirking his lips downwards in a mock pout.

"You know why I don't set a time for this. Would you like me to explain it again?" the hooded man said. "No. I've already heard it enough." The tall man said, waving a hand nonchalantly. "Anyway, shall we get this over with? I'm rather short for time right now." He said as he leaned against one of the machineries and watched as the hooded man gave him a nod and he spoke again. "The Cavallione has noticed."

The two men sitting on the boxes perked up once he said this and it was the spiky-haired man who spoke first. "Noticed what?" he asked and the tall man merely stood straight again and took out a thin folder from his long coat and threw it to the hooded man. "That." He said before going back to lean on the machinery.

The hooded man picked it up and swiftly scanned the contents before stopping on a page for a second or two before closing it. He turned to the spiky-haired man who looked at him curiously before passing the folder to him. "Page fifteen." Was all he said before the spiky-haired man opened the folder and skipped to the page mentioned and stared at the content before bursting into laughter.

"What's so funny?" the tall man asked, eyes narrowing a little as he watched the other's weird behaviour. The man with the laptop stopped laughing though he still had a Cheshire grin stretching his face. "Ah~ As expected of the Famiglia with the largest intelligence network." He said in an almost sing-song voice.

The tall man raised a brow at this. "You're not bothered at all?" he turned coolly to the hooded man as the other watched the spiky-haired man.

"I won't say I'm not bothered." The hooded man said, cold indifference coloring his voice. Immediately, the two others stopped and waited for him to speak again. "Who knows about this?" he turned to the tall man.

"Just the Bucking Horse and a couple of subordinates."

"No one else?"

"No one else. Although I believe he might contact Vongola as soon as he gets back."

The hooded man remained silent for a while as he fell into his thoughts before he looked at the tall man again. "You will continue what you've been doing for now. As always, don't let anyone notice what you're doing. I will call for you when the time comes." he said and the tall man smiled mysteriously at that. "Of course." Then the hooded man turned to the one with the laptop. "As for you, we're going into the next phase as soon as we're done with a little errand." He said.

The Spiky-haired man blinked. "Errand?"

The hooded man jumped down from his perch atop the boxes and landed soundlessly on the ground below. "We're going on a trip." He said as he started patting his jeans for invisible dust.

"Oh? Where to?" the spiky-haired man asked, unable to hide the manic grin that was spreading on his lips; already knowing the answer.

The hooded man turned to look at him, a dangerous glint showing in his eyes.

"We're going to visit the Cavallione."

* * *

Author's Notes:

I swear I never intended this chapter to be this long (20 pages) although I did know this was going to be longer than the previous chapters, but not like this. But hey, the longer the chapter, the better, right? Also, are there any Nana lovers here? If so, please don't kill me! (hides under the bed) There's a reason she had to die that way. Really, there is. Just wait for the chapter where I explain it all.

Edit: I forgot to mention. For those who don't know what a snuff movie is, it's kinda like a recording of a person's death, showing how they were killed and the like. Gruesome, I know. But I got the idea from a doujin and it wouldn't leave my mind.

And once more, if you notice anything wrong, grammar, phrasing etc., you know the drill.

As always, thanks for reading and tell me what you think about the story by reviewing!


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the long wait. I couldn't find the time to write between work and sleeping for the past few weeks and I got distracted reading Kuroko no Basuke and a whole lot of doujinshis. I also didn't make it in my November deadline seeing it's already December 1 but hey, at least I'm only a day late! lol

Also, 100 reviews! Thank you guys so much! You have no idea how much review mean a lot to me. They're like a scale that tells me how good a chapter I've written is and it's not only the number of review but the content as well. And as a thank you gift to you guys **I'LL GIVE OUT A HINT OR TWO AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER **so you guys better read til the end!

Oh and one last thing, I got a few reviews from the last chapter about Nana's death and yeah, her death's really harsh and cruel. But there's a reason for that. Moreover, I realize I should have warned you guys earlier that **this story will become darker in the future chapters** because I intended to write this chapter with** more focus on the mafia**** aspect of** **KHR**. This is also the reason why I'm going to change the rating of the story to M from this point on.

Well, now that 've said what must be said, on with the fic!

* * *

Chapter 18

The sound of the door slamming close resounded throughout the hallway as Gokudera stormed out of one of the many meeting rooms of the mansion. Ryouhei and Lambo followed the fuming storm; Ryouhei with his usual energetic self and Lambo lagging behind as he sent cautious looks at the silver haired man.

"Gokudera-shi, did you really have to do that?" Lambo asked slowly, purposely slowing down a couple of steps behind from the two just in case the angry bomber took his anger out on him.

"Of course! Who do they think we are? We are not their fucking referee for crying out loud! We're Vongola!" Gokudera fumed; his pace growing even faster as he vented out his anger. "How dare they call me back for such an idiotic, nonsensical reason!"

"But, it wasn't a stupid reason though."Lambo mumbled and involuntarily shirked away when the furious Storm Guardian gave him a death glare. "W-Well, t-they did have a valid reason for the m-meeting." He managed to blurt out.

A fight had broken out between the Costa and the Moretti Famiglia a couple of days ago and had escalated to an all out shooting fest in the city. And since both Famiglias were allied to the Vongola, it was decided that Vongola would mediate the meeting where the two Famiglias would negotiate for a truce. And since the dons of the Costa and Moretti Famiglia were the ones attending, Gokudera who was currently the one in charge of Vongola had to be present as well.

Gokudera snorted. "Valid reason my ass! They were acting like two arrogant brats who won't decide on what to do because none of them wanted to admit the fact that they were both fucking wrong in the first place!" he seethed and Lambo, despite having no interest in the matter of truces and negotiations, had to admit it was somewhat true.

The meeting started off just fine, with both dons explaining their side of the problem. It seemed that the Costa territory was accidentally breached by some of Moretti's men and after a few exchanges of words, the fight broke out between them. However, just as Don Costa was saying this, Don Moretti had interrupted and said that Don Costa's men were the ones who provoked his men to enter their territory and fight. Needless to say, the exchange of words, and later on insults, led to the aforementioned snapping of Gokudera's patience and the Storm Guardian flipped, yelling angrily about fucking idiots fighting like a bunch of arrogant brats wasting his time and walked out.

"But still, isn't it rude to just walk out on them?" Lambo asked. Despite the immature display of attitude, they were still dons after all.

"Tch. It's okay, Basil will take care of them. Anyway, those two probably already lost interest in who was wrong in the first place and just wanted to insult each other when we left them." Gokudera said, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they entered the west wing of the mansion.

Lambo watched the silver haired man from behind as they continued to walk. Although it was true that the two don's argument seemed a little on the lighter side of things, it was understandable, he supposed. Several Famiglias, especially those allied with the Vongola were feeling rather tense and restless lately because of the rumour of the supposed alliance of several unknown Famiglias against Vongola. And if that rumour was in fact true, then there were chances that it could result to an all-out war and that, Gokduera told him, had made many Famiglias stand on guard even more than before.; which was also probably why the Costa and Moretti Famiglia had fought.

"Yeah, but still," Ryouhei spoke and Lambo turned to look at the boxer who had his arms crossed and a rather serious expression on his face. "that was a really extreme fight." He said and Gokudera snorted. "Yeah right, only idiots like lawn-head would think that." He said rather sharply and Lambo turned a lazy eye on the bomber, knowing that Gokudera was still angry before he turned to Ryouhei who predictably, as it has been ever since they met, reacted instantly to the insult.

"What did you extremely call me, octopus-head!?"

"You heard me lawn-head!"

"I am extremely not a lawn-head to the extreme!"

"Then explain to me that tuft of shit on top of your head, you stupid lawn-head!"

"It's my extreme hair! Don't tell me you extremely can't identify hair!?"

"Of course I can you idiot!"

"Then why do you extremely call me lawn-head to the extreme!? I extremely don't even have an extreme lawn on my head!"

"Because you are one, you idiotic lawn-head!"

Lambo watched idly as two grown men fought the familiar eleven-year verbal match that none of them had ever won as he searched his pockets for his beloved grape candy. "I wonder which one will tire out first this time." He quietly mumbled to himself just as he fished out a grape candy and popped it to his mouth. "Lambo-san bets Gokudera-shi will stop first."

Both Gokudera and Ryouhei didn't seem to even hear him as they continued on, their speed equally matching each other's as their shouting match grew even louder so much that the two were probably heard even up to the gate of the Vongola estate, which was several kilometres away from the mansion. With any luck, the shouting match shouldn't be able to reach Hibari's office, which was soundproofed simply for the purpose of preventing any chances of angering the skylark and wrecking havoc in the mansion.

Speaking of offices...

Lambo blinked, his hands stopping from unwrapping another grape candy and looked around. They had walked into the west wing without him noticing. Or rather, he was too preoccupied watching Bakadera and lawn-head's shouting match that he lost track of where they were headed. Turning his attention back to the corridor, he saw the large double doors that stood on the far end of the corridor and when Gokudera, who was still shouting insults at Ryouhei, took a turn to the right just a few meters before the double doors, it was only then that Lambo realized where they were going.

"Crap." he blurted out and for an instant he almost forgot about his precious grape candy as he quickly followed the two older men. If Gokudera had intended to enter the west wing right when they left the meeting, then there was only one place Lambo knew he'd go to.

"W-Wait Gokudera-shi! Wait! Don't open that door!" he screamed as he turned at the corner. But it was too late. As soon as he had turned the corner, Gokudera was already standing in front of said door and was halfway pulling it open. A millisecond later he froze and Lambo gulped as he saw the color drain on the bomber's face, the manila folder he used for the meeting fell from his other hand and landed on the floor, scattering its contents.

"G-Gokudera-shi?" he called out, cautiously stepping closer to the two men. He spared a glance at Ryouhei and wasn't surprised to find the look of surprise on the boxer's face. "Gokudera-shi?" he asked again as he came up beside the silver haired man.

Gokudera didn't answer, his eyes still glued to the scene in front of him and Lambo couldn't help but shudder. This was bad. Gokudera was in shock. He knew he should've warned the other right when he arrived from Japan but he had been too busy running from Bianchi's own version of grape candy that time to even remember.

A shiver ran up his spine as he remembered it. Damn Bianchi for touching his favourite treats! Lambo shook his head. No, that wasn't important at the moment! Although nothing would be as important to him as his grape candy, but still!

"Gokudera-shi?" he tried once more, poking the silver haired bomber in the shoulder and when all he got was an eye twitch as a response, he decided to take a peek at the horrendous scene that was Gokudera's office.

White.

Pure. Endless. _Towering_ white.

That was all he could see. Or to be more precise, everything that he was supposed to be seeing had been covered in white; the desk, the coffee and side tables, the couches, the _floor_ and even the bookshelves that Gokudera once mentioned to him were only five _centimetres_ lower than the ceiling couldn't be seen.

Feeling overwhelmed with the sight of so much paperwork himself, Lambo did the only thing he could.

He closed the door.

And as if caught waking up from a trance, Gokudera snapped back to normal as soon as the quiet click was heard. "Oi lawn-head! why the fuck is my office filled with all that fucking paperwork!?" he growled, anger and frustration clearly evident in his fiery green eyes.

"H-Hey! I extremely don't know either! I extremely just came back from my extreme mission yesterday!" Ryouhei countered, raising his fists up as if he was ready to fight with the bomber.

Hearing Ryouhei's words, Gokudera backed off a little from the Sun Guardian before turning ever so slowly to Lambo, a death glare fixing on him as he did so. "You." He growled.

Lambo involuntarily took a step back as he Gokudera pointed a finger at him. "E-Eh? ...um, uh..." he started, backing away more as Gokudera's glare intensified. "I-I didn't do anything this time! I swear! L-Lambo-san was busy with his own missions and reports and studying a-and running away from I-pin and Bianchi! Lambo-san swears he didn't do anything this time! Don't hurt me!" he screamed as he tried to run away from the two men.

Unfortunately, Gokudera had managed to grab him from behind and yanked him back, forcing him to fall back on his butt before he was pulled up again. "T-Tolerate..." he mumbled to himself as he felt tears forming at the corners of his eyes and the murderous aura forming behind him.

" . ."

Lambo gulped before turning around nervously and he almost cried when he saw how angry the silver haired man was.

"Who caused that huge fucking pile of paperwork?"

He sniffed. "It – it was... Hi-Hibari and Muku- OW!" he yelped in pain as the hand holding him up suddenly vanished and he fell to the floor. "Hey! What did you do that for?" he shouted and blinked when he saw that Gokudera was already a few feet ahead from where he and Ryouhei were, heading in the other direction.

"THAT FUCKING BIRD! WHAT THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE'S DOING? AND THAT IDIOTIC PINEAPPLE BASTARD TOO! RIGHT AFTER I TOLD THEM TO AT LEAST BEHAVE WHILE WE WERE AWAY THEY CREATE THIS FUCKING MOUNTAIN! THAT'S IT I'M GONNA KILL THEM!" Gokudera bellowed as he marched off.

"Hey wait! I'm extremely coming too!" Ryouhei shouted, looking rather irked as well as he ran after the fuming Storm Guardian.

Lambo blinked again, baffled as to why Ryouhei had such an expression before he remembered that among them, Ryouhei was also one of the few unfortunate ones who were tasked with handling a portion of the paperwork as well.

Realizing that he'd been left behind, Lambo sighed as he stood up and dusted his pants off. "Goodness; that was a close call." He mumbled to himself before picking up the pieces of paper that were scattered when the folder Gokudera was holding earlier fell. He'd give them to Gokudera later when the other had vented his anger.

A loud shout was heard from the direction Gokudera and Ryouhei went to and Lambo sighed again. "I hope Chrome-nee would be back soon." He muttered. When Yamamoto left with Gokudera and Reborn to Japan, Chrome was the only other one who could somehow lessen the fights that occurred between the Mist and Cloud Guardians. Well, on Mukuro's side anyway; and less Mukuro meant Hibari wouldn't go on a rampage as much. But since the female Mist was on a solo mission at the moment, it meant that no one was there to stop the impending doom that was Gokudera confronting Hibari _and_ Mukuro at the same time.

"Oh well, I guess I better get out of here before that happens." He said to himself as he fished out another grape candy from his pocket. "Although..." he sent a glance at the direction of Hibari's office where loud voices could be heard and an image of Gokudera scolding Hibari and Mukuro popped in his mind. "Lambo-san wants to find out what will happen." He grinned and just like that, he made his way to where the other Guardians were at.

The voices got louder as he went further in, trying to listen in to the one-sided shouting match going on in the Cloud Guardian's office. But it was only when he arrived on the corridor that housed said office did he actually understood everything he heard loud and clear.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING ALL THIS TIME? I TOLD YOU TO FUCKING WORK ON THE SHITTY PAPERWORK, NOT CREATE MORE OF THOSE AND JUST DUMP THEM IN MY OFFICE!"

"I never agreed to follow such an order. Moreover, I will not be ordered by you or anyone weaker than me."

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE USE THAT EXCUSE ON ME BASTARD! YOU AGREED TO HANDLE ALL THE PAPERWORK BEFORE I LEFT!"

"I don't remember making such an agreement. Get out of my office now or I will bite you to death for crowding."

'THE FUCK DO I CARE FOR CROWDING IN YOUR SHITTY OFFICE! YOU DIDN'T DO YOUR FUCKING JOB!"

"Using such language is breaking the rules, herbivore. For that, I will bite you to death."

"What rules to the extreme!?"

Lambo stopped by the door which was conveniently left ajar. Quietly, he bent down on his knees and peeked at the scene going on inside the office. Gokudera was standing in front of Hibari's desk, hands slamming on the wooden surface before drawing out his dynamites; Ryouhei standing to his left, juggling between shouting at Hibari for the extra work and challenging the skylark to a fight. Meanwhile, Hibari stood behind his desk, tonfas in hand and eyes narrowed dangerously as a glare promising punishment and pain met Gokudera's own angry one.

Unconsciously, he popped another grape candy in his mouth and watched with rapt attention at the exchange of words and death threats of the three men inside.

"Kufufu..."

"Gupyah!" he shrieked, accidentally tripping on his feet and pushing the door in front of him. He fell face first on the floor earning the attention of the three men inside before managing to look at the person that appeared behind him.

"Oh? What's this I see? Is the violent skylark getting scolded by the loyal puppy?" Mukuro chuckled as he sauntered into the room, a mischievous smile gracing his lips and Lambo groaned. He hated it whenever the illusionist popped out of thin air like that; he still wasn't that good at sensing people's presences.

Moreover, the timing of the other's appearance seemed too perfect for a mere coincidence. Lambo glanced at the three other occupants of the room and gulped.

This was not good.

"For entering my office without permission and assuming incorrect information, I will bite you to death." Hibari said as he brought up his tonfas, ready to strike.

Mukuro chuckled again, raising a hand as his trident materialized. "Kufufu, you left the door open for anyone to eavesdrop and enter. You can't accuse me of trespassing and breaking your rules when you yourself left an opening, skylark." He retorted back.

Sensing that another fight was about to break out, Lambo quickly stood and scampered to the side, hoping to at least get out of the room unscathed. The air suddenly became thick with tension as Vongola's two most violent Guardians glared at each other. But just as the Cloud and Mist were about to engage in a fight a flash of red whizzed towards the two men who quickly evaded; Hibari tilting his head to the side and Mukuro swiping his hand in the air, deftly catching the object thrown at him.

"Oh? What's this? Are you intending to fight us with these?" Mukuro asked and raised his hand, waving the unlit stick of dynamite he had caught, and stared at the seething silver haired bomber standing in front of the desk, effectively blocking the view of both his and Hibari's view of the other.

Gokudera growled. "Like hell I'd join your fight! Have you seen the shit you've made in my office? I've had enough of you two!" he hissed. Hibari merely 'hn'd' and lowered his tonfas while Mukuro raised his hands in mock surrender. "Oh? But I think you're accusing the wrong person here. I was not the one left to take care of all that paperwork." At this, Hibari glared at the illusionist and Mukuro smiled triumphantly. Hibari raised a tonfa-

"Everyone! We have an emergency!"

The panic and urgency in the words cut off the impending fight between the three Guardians and all of the occupants in the room immediately turned to the door where Fuuta stood, panting with his hands resting on his knees.

"Are you okay Fuuta?" Lambo asked, moving closer so that he stood beside the older teen.

"What's wrong to the extreme?" Ryouhei asked as he, too, went over to where the two teens were.

Fuuta took a deep breath before standing straight again "We received an SOS signal." He started, the panic in his eyes alarming the others that something was definitely wrong. "It's the Cavallione."

"They're under attack."

* * *

Fire was spreading everywhere quickly, engulfing everything it touched into its smouldering grip as cracks of varying degrees ran across the pillars and walls of the mansion. Furniture, both broken and intact, lay scattered across the floors together with the glass that came from broken windows and shattered china and porcelain. In the distance, voices shouting, panicking and barking orders could be heard and soon, it was joined by footsteps.

"This way! Hurry!" Dino shouted as he together with Romario and a few others appeared through the adjacent corridor just as parts of the burning ceiling collapsed, scattering bits and pieces of ember everywhere together with the smoke. "Valsino, Giuseppe, Emilio, are you guys alright?" He asked through a cough, quickly looking over his subordinates that had barely evaded the burning debris by jumping out of the way.

"We're fine, boss." Valsino said as he let out a cough and inspected his now-cracked glasses. The two others, Giuseppe and Emilio nodded as they dusted themselves from the dust and small pieces of concrete that fell on them before pushing themselves off the floor. "Besides, we have to get you out of here, boss." Giuseppe added followed by a nod from the other two. Dino frowned. "Guys, that's not-" he started but the sound of another explosion followed by several walls collapsing somewhere behind them was heard.

Romario frowned. "That sounded close." He said and Dino felt a hand on his shoulder. "Boss." He turned to look at the older man and despite his hesitance; Dino gave a small nod before he faced all four of them. "Just so we're clear, we're all getting out of here alive, got it?" he said with determination lacing his voice before turning around and running in the opposite direction. Behind him, he heard a chorus of voices following closely.

"Of course, boss!"

"After all, there're still a whole lot of papers to sign after this."

"Not to mention the fact that the boss might fall down again without at least one of us watching over him."

"Hey, that's a bit harsh, Romario."

"It's true."

Despite the situation at hand, Dino couldn't help but let out a smile as he heard the light-hearted conversation of his men. However, it didn't last long as silence fell on them once more and he was left to his thoughts as he let his eyes wander around.

It felt surreal.

The collapsed walls and ceilings, rooms and pieces of furniture engulfed in flames, cracks ranging from hair-thin lines to large gaping holes that littered the walls and pillars of the mansion, and the stench of blood that permeated the air... the blood his subordinates, his Famiglia shed to protect him when that man and his subordinates came and started to attack and burn everything.

It all felt surreal to him.

And he hated it.

Because it hadn't even been an hour since it all started. It hadn't even been an hour since he, Romario and the others came back from Polistena. It hadn't been an hour since he saw his men, still cheerful and lively, relentlessly bombarding him with questions and queries, informing him of how worried they had been for him to suddenly disappear like that; how he had worried them and made them think that he'd been kidnapped or something, and he just laughed it away saying that he had some urgent errand that had to be done personally and that there was no time to notify them.

He didn't even think that there was a chance that they could be attacked any minute now.

He had been so preoccupied with his men after arriving back at the mansion that he even failed to notice the calls he had been receiving from Eliseo relentlessly and when he finally did notice, it was too late.

"_Boss, the report I showed you... it's missing."_

Then the explosions came.

"_Oh? Haha! I hit the jackpot! Everyone's here~"_

And everything started to burn.

"_Boss! Please get away from here! We'll take care of him!"_

"_No! I won't let you guys fight alone!"_

"_Boss!"_

He remembered the main lobby being destroyed and Romario dragging him away. He remembered struggling against his subordinates grasp as he watched his men fall down one by one, dead. He remembered rage and guilt and anguish filling his mind and his sight going red at the deaths and destruction and at the realization that he had made a fatal mistake before he snapped out of it by Romario who had told him that he shouldn't waste the lives his subordinates gave so he could escape, that they still had something important to do. And that was when he finally remembered the small CD case carefully hidden in his coat; that Vongola had to be warned about that man's betrayal.

So he ran.

"Boss?"

Dino blinked, breaking his train of thoughts and he realized that Valsino and the others were already running in front of him and that he now lagged behind. "Boss." He turned to his right where Romario was. "You alright?" the older man asked and despite the gleam of light hiding his eyes, Dino was still able to see the concern coming from the older man. Shaking his head, he attempted to smile. "It's nothing, Romario. I'm fine." He said and he quickened his pace, matching those of Valsino and the others.

They seemed to be somewhere in the east wing now and he corridors looked better than the one they passed through earlier even thought the only difference was the lack of fire licking at the walls and windows. They turned a corner and Dino accidentally bumped into Giuseppe as the man suddenly halted to a stop. "W-What's wrong, Giuseppe?" he asked the taller man and when the only reply he got was a curse, he looked over the Giuseppe's shoulder and he felt his heart sink a little bit more.

There in front of them stood a barricade consisting of large chunks of concrete, burning wood and steel wires poking out in different directions. Glass, most likely shattered because of the intense heat of the flames, were scattered all over together with fallen paintings and broken china and porcelain.

"Damn it, this is the fourth path we've come across that's blocked!" Emilio exclaimed angrily and Valsino sighed exasperatedly. "Boss, we should look for another way." Romario came up beside him and Dino could only nod in return.

Giuseppe tsk'ed "Shit, why've they suddenly attacking us anyway? The Cavallione hadn't done anything to provoke any of the Famiglias, moreover, theirs. So why are they doing this?" he said angrily and Dino received knowing glances from both Romario and Valsino. Unconsciously, he ran a hand over his coat, feeling the hard plastic case of the small CD hidden inside and he took a breath. "Calm down Giuseppe, there're still other paths to the escape route are blocked. We've gone through four, there's still one left." He said.

"Of course, boss. Sorry for losing it."Giuseppe calmed down and Dino patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort the other in understanding. He hated to admit it, but the last strands of his patience and composure were starting to slip away too. Deciding on which corridor they would take next, they started to run once more.

There were four different escape routes hidden within the Cavallione mansion, two of those were already reported to have caved in and the other two were still unchecked. The current escape route they were running to was the closest one to the lobby where they were when the explosions started and there were five paths that could be taken to reach it. Four of those were already blocked, their only chance now was the last one and Dino strongly hoped that it hadn't been affected by the attacks. If it was, then they'd have to go around the mansion again to reach the other escape route and he wasn't sure if they'd make it in time.

Suddenly, just as they were about to reach an intersection, the sound of someone shuffling about was heard and they all immediately stopped. They were only a few more corridors away from the escape route. If one of that man's subordinates were to walk in on them; then they were bound to fight one way or another.

Quickly, Dino took out his whip while the others took out their guns and waited with bated breath as the sounds that seemed to come just right after the corner started to fade out and disappear altogether. Valsino, Giuseppe and Emilio exchanged looks before Emilio nodded. "Wait here." He whispered before stealthily moving closer to the intersection and crouching down as he reached the corner. Carefully, he peeked out on both sides twice before gesturing at the others that both paths were clear.

Dino let out a sigh, the grip on his whip loosening a little as he and the others started to move towards Emilio. "The coast is clear, boss. We can go through here." Emilio said, a grin forming on his face as he stood and Giuseppe strode over to hit him on the head. "Now's not the time to look so damn relaxed Emilio!" he reprimanded despite the relived look on his face and the two men started bickering.

"Now now, we shouldn't be fighting here right now, of all places." Valsino said as he went over to pacify the two men and Romario couldn't help but shake his head.

However, as soon as Valsino had come close enough to the two, the wall behind them suddenly exploded. Bright, pure flames emerged as it blasted the thick concrete wall down, collapsing on the three men. "NO!" Dino shouted, whip already lashing forward in an attempt to cut the falling debris into smaller pieces to soften the blow but it was too late. Emilio and Giuseppe were far too close to where the collapsed wall was and the intense, pure flames had reached them, engulfing them in its merciless hold. Valsino had managed to evade the flames but he had gotten caught in the concrete avalanche and was knocked unconscious.

"Found you~"

That voice. Dino glared at the figure standing behind the large gaping hole where the wall used to be and growled. "_You_" he hissed.

The figure stepped forward. "Whoa! So scary~" he chuckled as his cold, malicious eyes stared at him mischievously. "There's really no need to look at me like that you know, Bucking Horse." The man added and watched as he bristled and seethed with anger.

"How could you do this?" He finally asked after a few seconds of silence. The man blinked, seemingly perplexed at the question and raised a brow. "Do what, exactly?" He asked, titling his head slightly to the side, giving off an impression of innocence and Dino cursed. "This!" he raised his arms, gesturing to the death and destruction surrounding them. "How could you just simply destroy and kill my subordinates, my _Famiglia_ and show yourself like it's just some kind of game!" he shouted, his voice reverberating through the silent corridors.

The smile on the other's face disappeared and he stood to his full height. "That's because you took something that isn't yours." He said before a sly grin crept up his lips. "I got into trouble for that, you know~" he said playfully before dodging the oncoming whip that came his way.

Dino furrowed his brows at the man's words. Got into trouble? Did that mean that there was someone else plotting against Vongola aside from this man? It seemed there was something more to this case that just a simple information leak. He activated his flames and sent another attack with his whip. "You're planning something against Vongola." He said. "You're the one responsible for sending out the information about Tsuna." He dodged to the side as the other sent an attack with his flames.

The man blinked again and jumped to the side as Dino's burning whip lashed through the place he should have been in. "Well, that much is true so I can't exactly deny that~" He said and Dino was surprised at the other's confession. "Ah, but what to say, what to say... I am, after all, just following his orders..." the man drifted off as he jumped high in the air and his eyes shifted to look at somewhere behind Dino, alerting him that something was wrong, and smiled. "...isn't that right?"

"Yeah."

Dino stood frozen as a strong presence suddenly appeared behind him, choking him with the intense, murderous aura being emitted. His senses prickled as he used his all to turn his head to at least see who it was that seemed to control the other man he had been fighting against, but it was too late. He had moved too slow. And in that split second he had closed his eyes and prepared himself for the impact of whatever attack it was that would come, he felt hands, large and strong, push him away from harm's way and he opened his eyes in time to see Romario, eyes and mouth wide open in desperation to save him, receive the impending doom originally meant for him as a hand pierced through his chest, splattering blood all over the floor.

Dino stumbled backwards, eyes wide in shock as he watched the blood drip from the corners of Romario's mouth. "... B-Bo...oss...ru..n..." Romario muttered as more blood came out of his mouth. The hand that pierced through his chest was pulled out and Romario fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"Romario..." Dino fell to his knees as he stared at his most trusted subordinate bathe in his own blood, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. No words could describe the anguish he felt. His Famgilia was destroyed. His Famiglia, his _family_...

Footsteps came towards him and he looked up to the man that killed his precious comrade. "Why?" he asked, the anger and guilt and pain all mixing into one as he screamed. "WHY?" he grabbed his whip and used it to attack the man hiding beneath a hooded jacket.

The man didn't move except for a slight tilting of his head to the side as the whip passed through, hitting one side of the hood and pushing it backwards revealing the face hidden underneath.

Dino felt his heart stop as he stared wide-eyed at the man standing in front of him. "Y-You... what – how... impossible." he muttered incoherently as the grip on his whip loosened enough for it to fall lifelessly to the ground.

Numb.

That was the only thing he felt now. All the anger, the pain, the guilt and confusion he had been feeling all this time suddenly became numb at the realization forming in his mind. Slowly, he stood up, eyes never leaving the man that destroyed his Famiglia. "Why... why are you doing this?" he mumbled through the silence and the man started to walk towards him.

Step.

"Because I want to destroy Vongola."

Step.

"Why?"

Step.

"Because they destroyed everything I had."

Step.

"...Then why my Famiglia?"

Step.

"Because you tried to interfere."

The man stopped a couple of steps away from him as cold, dark eyes stared into his own.

"And I will not allow anyone to get in the way of my revenge."

The man reached out a hand, fingers lightly grazing his cheek almost as if the man wanted to comfort him for his loss.

"This will be the last time we will see each other."

The hand then went upwards, pushing a few stray strands of blonde hair away before falling down to rest in the middle of his chest.

"Farewell, Dino Cavallione."

The last thing Dino remembered were the pure, bright flames engulfing his body in its scorching heat and that curious flicker of emotion that passed through those cold, dark eyes before everything became black.

* * *

Reborn felt a strange sensation pass through his body and he turned his head away from the numerous screens connected to the wall to look at the doorway and see that no one was there. "Strange." He muttered under his breath before reclining back into his seat and returned to watching the footages of the numerous hidden cameras strategically placed all over Namimori with a slightly perplexed look.

He didn't know why, but for some reason he suddenly felt anxious. Taking a glance at his watch, he fished out his phone from his pocket and checked for any messages. "None." He said to himself and placed the phone on the console in front of him instead of returning it to his pocket. It had been almost seventeen hours since Gokudera left for Italy to settle the fight that broke out between the Costa and Moretti Famiglias. Given the time difference, Gokudera should have been done with that approximately four hours ago and yet there he hadn't received any call or message about it.

What's more, he was extremely bored. Today was Tsuna's day off and he was supposed to spend the day with the brunette when he received a call earlier from said brunette telling him that he couldn't make it. When he asked his dame student why, Tsuna merely said that his neighbour had gotten terribly sick and had begged him to look after her children for the day and he was left with no other choice but to agree because the other neighbours weren't home and the landlord left early that morning to run some errands.

So with that, Reborn was left with nothing to do for the day aside from his regular stroll around the town, drinking his daily dose of espresso and taking care of the usual assassins that were stupid enough to still come and try to assassinate Tsuna after so many failed attempts. However, even that started to bore him out so he returned to the underground headquarters a few hours later, leaving the rest to Yamamoto and just settled with watching the footages of the cameras placed in specific areas surrounding Tsuna's apartment.

So far Tsuna hadn't left his apartment aside from the one time he went to check how his neighbour was doing before going back to continue taking care of the two brats that were prancing around in his apartment.

Reborn sighed. It seemed like nothing interesting was going to happen today and there wasn't anything he could do today. He stood up and headed for the door, the sudden urge for espresso surfacing again and he was a couple of steps away from the door when he heard the familiar buzzing of his phone.

Walking back to the console where he left his phone, he raised a brow as he saw the name on the caller ID. "Chrome." he read aloud and he pushed the accept button and brought the phone to his ear. "What is it?" he asked, and his brows furrowed as he listened to the tired, worried voice of the female Mist Guardian.

"What did you say?" he asked again, his voice coming out a bit higher than usual and was tinged with incredulity.

Chrome remained silent for a couple of seconds, seemingly taken aback by his reaction before she slowly repeated the words she had spoken a few seconds ago.

"_We received an SOS signal from the Cavallione Famiglia a couple of hours ago and immediately we sent a group for back up. However, when they arrived..." _Chrome paused for a second. _"...there was nothing left."_

"_The Cavallione Famiglia were completely obliterated."_

* * *

Author's Notes:

And there you go, Chapter 18! Thanks for reading! And as promised, I shall give you guys your thank you gift!

I've encountered a lot of review where people are wondering how Tsuna lost his memories...

**Hint: **It's in the manga. It's also mentioned in the anime but I'm not telling which part. :P The only thing I can say is that it was mentioned in a single page in an arc before the arcobaleno trials. Anymore and it might get obvious.

Second thing I've seen in the reviews is when people wonder who the hooded guy is...

**Hint**: He's not an OC. Actually, I never used an OC in this story before so you can pretty much just roll call every character in KHR. Just don't expect me to answer yes lol and if you would look closely at the details I've scattered all around this story and details in the manga, you might just find out who the hooded guy is~

There you go, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter too and review! Reviews make me happy and a happy me = a faster update. So review if you want a faster update! ^^


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Notes:

Before I continue, I'd first like to say congratulations to long live marshmallows for guessing one of the questions right! Cookies and kudos points for you! I wasn't actually expecting anyone to bother with any of the questions I left in the previous chapter so I was really surprised when I saw long live marshmallow's answer lol.

Anyway, continuing on...

I was hoping to actually post this before the new year started, but there were so many things happening all at once during that time that I wasn't able to finish. Moreover, the result of all that rushing made the chapter a chopsuey of thoughts that couldn't be linked together so I revised it all over again. This is the result. I never expected it to be this long though...

I hope you guys enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 19

The streets were quiet and the sky was still painted in shades of midnight blue and indigo with only a sliver of light emerging from the east, indicating that dawn was approaching. Quiet footsteps were amplified in the silence as Reborn walked along the empty street; hands hidden in his pockets and fedora tilted just enough so that it was concealing his eyes halfway, and strode along the street with nonchalant indifference. However, instead of the usual confident air he usually gave off when he moved, it was replaced by a tense and seemingly agitated one and where his lips were usually quirked up in a smirk, it was drawn in a line.

"_The Cavallione Famiglia were completely obliterated."_

The corners of his mouth quirked down ever so slightly, almost unnoticeably, as the well controlled anger he had been feeling started to resurface again. He turned a corner, not really having a destination in mind, for once, as he recalled the words Chrome spoke to him last night.

"_Hibari-san managed to find Dino-san inside the mansion. He's alive, but..._

_...he's in critical condition."_

He was angry, not because of the sudden attack on the Cavallione, nor was it because of the fact that his former student had almost died. No. If there was something he would feel for his former student, it was relief, relief that he was strong enough to live another day. Death was a common occurrence in the mafia and strength was the determining factor whether you lived or died. That was the life of a Mafioso and he had drilled that truth in both of his students' minds until they slept and ate and lived their lives as if it were their last.

Although he wouldn't exactly deny the fact that he was also angry at his former student's predicament. Dino was his first student; the one he had first taught and raised to be a powerful and well-respected boss of the Cavallione Famiglia. He would never admit it to anyone, but he was proud of his former student. To be attacked, leaving his Famiglia almost completely destroyed and Dino in such a weak state made him want to go and hunt the perpetrators himself, but he had his orders to stay in Namimori and keep Tsuna safe and leaving the investigation to the others and that was what truly made him want to shoot someone dead.

Because as of this moment, there had yet to be anyone who could find the perpetrator nor were there any clues left behind leaving them with nothing to direct their investigation to.

Leon quietly crawled over to his shoulder, flicking its tongue a couple of times and Reborn gave it a gentle pat on the head before returning his attention back on the road in front of him, recalling the phone call he had made with Gokudera earlier.

According to the Storm Guardian, Dino had offered to investigate about the informant that was responsible for leaking Tsuna's whereabouts to the whole Mafia underworld and, upon further inquiring from the surviving Cavallione members, had gone on a trip. The purpose, however, was known only to those who accompanied the Cavallione don, and out of the three subordinates who accompanied Dino, only one survived and had yet to be questioned because he still hadn't regained consciousness. The trip had gone for two days before Dino and the others had arrived back at the Cavallione mansion and, approximately an hour after, the attack happened.

Looking at things in an objective point of view, it was easy to understand the chain of events that happened before the attack on the Cavallione. Dino must have found something out about the informant and, knowing the blond's way of thinking, must have gone to acquire it personally to prevent anyone from knowing that they discovered something. And that something must have been of great importance if the Cavallione Famiglia, one of the strongest and largest Famiglias known throughout the world, had to be attacked just to keep it hidden.

But the question was: what was it?

Reborn paused at his steps, having reached an empty intersection, and waited for the light to turn green. In a situation like this, there were usually only a handful of reasons that could be linked to such a question. Identity, the Famiglia they belong to and their location; although quite common, these were the most important information a Mafioso would hide from others and something that most Mafiosi would kill for to keep hidden.

Judging from the predicament the Cavallione fell into, what Dino found was probably the most vital of the three; which was identity. Knowing one's identity would enable another to sniff out which Famiglia you belong to as well as their current location as opposed to discovering either the Famiglia or the location first because these two usually required further investigation and infiltration to gather more information.

However, this was still just his own assumption and as much as he wanted to conduct his own investigation on the matter, he had his orders to stay in Namimori and keep Tsuna safe. Gokudera had informed him during the call that with the Cavallione's fall and the continued threat of the rumoured alliance against Vongola, tensions were rising within the allied Famiglias, the Famiglias that weren't exactly in favour of Vongola and some of the neutral ones who ended up getting caught in the middle. If left alone, it might result into an all-out war from the three sides and this occurrence might be taken for granted as a chance to target Tsuna once more.

In order to protect Tsuna, the Guardians had agreed to bring Tsuna back to Italy. However, they couldn't just bring the brunet back to Italy where an all-out-war within the Mafia was about to break out. So Tsuna would have to stay in Japan for a while longer, at least, until the tensions within the Famiglias lessened and no one would just suddenly break out into a fight. Until then, Reborn and Tsuna would have to stay in Japan.

The red light began to blink a few times before it turned back to green. Reborn, however, remained in his place, a tinge of contemplation flickering in his dark eyes. Leon crawled a little closer to his neck, flicked its tongue once, twice, as if reminding him that he could cross the road now and he turned his head slightly to look it in the eye. "I change my mind." He told the green chameleon and Leon tilted its head in return as if in question. "Want to go see how Dame-Tsuna's doing?" he asked and the green chameleon flicked its tongue before jumping up to the edge of Reborn's fedora and settling on it.

"It's decided then." Reborn said, smirking as he turned away from the pedestrian and started to walk back in the direction he came from. "Dame-Tsuna better have some good coffee or I might just make him run fifty laps before he can go to work."

* * *

Tired. He was extremely tired...and _stressed_, Gokudera mentally added as he placed the phone he held in his hand back to the receiver huddled beside a stack of paperwork.

"How'd it go?" Dark green eyes moved to look at the source of the voice who was currently sitting at the sleek, black-leathered couch positioned several feet away from his desk, sifting through one of the investigation reports that were sent earlier from the intelligence unit. "Fine." He sighed, running a hand through his silver hair. "Enma agreed to help in keeping the Famigilas in the South in order and said that he'd also keep a close watch on every activity that happens down there." he said.

"Haha, that's good then." The other said as he turned a page of the report rather casually. "Good?" Gokudera repeated, a bit ticked off at the swordsman's carefree reply. "What the hell's so good about this situation, you stupid baseball freak?" he growled, glaring at said baseball freak.

Yamamoto just smiled and raised his hands in a calming manner. "Now now, that's not what I said, Gokudera. You need to loosen up a little!" he said cheerfully, irking Gokduera even more. "The hell I'd loosen up! The Cavallione's been attacked, the Bucking Horse is in critical condition, Famiglias are starting to panic with tensions rising are and on the verge of starting a war, and we haven't got a fucking lead as to who's the bastard that's behind this fucking mess!" he snapped, throwing an unlit stick of dynamite, the closest thing within his reach, towards the Rain Guardian in frustration.

Easily dodging the flying projectile, Yamamoto sighed, letting his smile fall down to a mere upward quirk of the lips. "Nothing." He answered. "There's really nothing good in this situation. But I don't think getting upset or agitated about it would be better either." He said, sharp amber eyes meeting Gokudera's fiery green ones for a second before regaining its usual cheery glint. "So you need to relax, okay? Take a break." he added, the small smile on his face turning to a grin.

Hearing the swordsman's words, Gokudera looked away, grumbling a silent 'baseball freak' under his breath and frowned. He hated to admit it, but the baseball freak was right. Getting agitated wouldn't do anyone anything good, and letting his short temper get the best of him wasn't helping either. But he was tired, damn it! He had been working almost non-stop ever since the news about the Cavallione reached his ears.

Damage control needed to be done to prevent further internal trouble from spreading throughout the Mafia and appeasing the dons of the allied Famiglias and neutral Famiglias that had, in some way or another connections to either Vongola or Cavallione, came in the form of numerous phone calls and video calls that lasted from minutes to hours. He'd also ordered an immediate investigation on the attack to CEDEF and Hibari had taken up the task of tracing the perpetrators with his Foundation which, up until now had showed no results; something that clearly annoyed the hell out of the Cloud Guardian since the Foundation had one of the largest and most efficient intelligence networks in the Mafia.

Moreover, since it was Vongola who had taken the wounded Cavallione don and the few men that had survived, it was understood that all matters regarding the Cavallione would be handled and solved by the Vongola. This, inevitably, also translated to him gaining temporary authority to, as well as handling Cavallione's documents, bank accounts and various other paperwork.

Which meant more work for him.

Great.

Just. Fucking. Great.

Gokudera felt his eye twitch and resisted the urge to sigh once more. He took a glance at the mess of papers and folders littering the top of his desk and the rest of his office and grudgingly took one of the reports, opened it and started reading...

...only to realize that his sight was getting blurry.

Taking off his glasses, he ran a hand over his eyes. He knew that Yamamoto was probably right and he needed a break, but when did he ever listen to the idiot? No, scratch that. When did he ever listen anyone so openly? The only one who he'd readily follow and obey was Tsuna, and in a similar sense, Reborn, and both of them were still in Japan, miles and miles away from the chaos, confusion and shit that was happening here.

Speaking of Tsuna...

"I wonder how Jyuudaime's doing." Gokudera mumbled to himself, propping an arm up on top of his desk and resting his head on his hand, eyes returning to the report.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Yamamoto turn to him. "He was fine when I last saw him yesterday. Besides, Reborn won't let anything happen to him so there's no need to worry." Yamamoto said reassuringly.

"I know that." He snapped, slightly annoyed at the fact that the other was able to see through him clearly. "It's just that Jyuudaime doesn't remember anything, so he wouldn't be able to fight if those fucking bastards start coming after him again." He said heatedly.

Yamamoto's smile faltered for a second before returning to normal. "Well, there is that." He said, pausing for a moment as he lowered his eyes to the report he was holding. "Maybe Tsuna should stay in Japan for a while..." he said quietly, sounding like he said it more to himself than to Gokudera.

Gokudera snorted. "This again?" he said, glaring at the Rain Guardian. "I told you the best way to protect Jyuudaime is by bringing him back here with us." He said. "We just have to make sure the Famgilias have calmed down enough to not wage a fucking war against each other before we bring him back." He added and Yamamoto looked up to meet his glare. "I never said that it wasn't the best way, Gokudera." The swordsman answered back, the carefree smile on his face being replaced by a serious expression. "I just think that maybe we should let him stay there until this matter is taken care of."

Gokudera's glare intensified. "I won't allow Jyuudaime to be endangered any longer than this. He can't have assassins running after him every fucking time he goes out in the streets. Jyuudaime has to return here and I don't fucking care if the letter says otherwise." He said hotly. Honestly, they had been going on with this argument ever since Yamamoto heard that he and the other Guardians had agreed to bring Tsuna back to Italy and although Yamamoto wasn't exactly against it, he didn't exactly agree to it either.

Which extremely irked Gokudera; because he didn't understand why.

"Tsuna wrote that letter." Yamamoto said seriously, eyes never leaving Gokudera. "There must be a reason why he said he shouldn't return."

"So you actually think that Jyuudaime wrote that letter." He said, the words coming out more of a statement than a question. Yamamoto looked questioningly at him, brows slightly furrowed in confusion. "You don't think he did?" he asked, his voice tinted with a tinge of disbelief and Gokudera averted his eyes to look at the large windows to his left.

"No." He answered, eyes looking up to look at the endless blue sky above. "He didn't write that letter." He said quietly before returning his gaze back to Yamamoto. "Jyuudaime would not leave Vongola on purpose." He said seriously.

Tsuna loved the Vongola. Sure, in the beginning Tsuna had been adamant in becoming Vongola Decimo, even he was able to see that back then. But within the time he'd spent with everyone, he had grown to accept and love Vongola. It was his Famiglia, it was where the people he cared for and who cared for him was. In a different sense, Vongola was his second home and Gokudera and the others, his family. If Tsuna really had written that letter, then it meant that the brunet had decided to leave Vongola, to leave _them_ behind of his _own_ accord, and it was something that Gokudera refused to accept.

Yamamoto fell silent for a while, a contemplative look appearing on his face before turning back at Gokudera."No, no he wouldn't." Yamamoto answered finally, agreeing with Gokudera's statement. "Tsuna wouldn't leave us on purpose." He continued. "At least; not without good reason." He sent a look towards Gokudera.

Gokudera stared questioningly at the other for a moment. A reason? Of course Tsuna would have a reason for leaving, assuming that what Yamamoto was saying is in fact, true; but a reason as to why he would leave...

His eyes widened for a second before narrowing as he realized what the swordsman was implying. "Are you saying the reason Jyuudaime left was because of _that_?" He spat, feelings he had thought he'd forgotten started to trickle back as the implication of Yamamoto's words sunk in. There was no way Tsuna would leave because of that. Even though that incident had terribly affected his boss and friend, he didn't think that the brunet would actually leave because of it.

Yamamoto watched him for a few more seconds before speaking again. "Think about it, Gokudera, it had barely been a year since it happened before Tsuna disappeared; and the way he'd been acting before he disappeared. The timing was-"

"Shut up." He interjected, cutting Yamamoto off. No. He refused to believe that _that_ was what drove the young don to leave.

"Gokudera-"

"Jyuudaime was getting better!" he repeated more fiercely, glaring at Yamamoto.

Yamamoto stared back at him, the sharpness of his eyes softening as a glint of sadness glimmered in them. "But he hadn't moved on yet, Gokudera. He was getting better, but he was still hurting." He said.

Gokudera continued to glare at the swordsman for a few more seconds before calming himself down and decided to divert his attention back to the report sitting in front of him.

He knew where Yamamoto was coming from; he understood it. That incident... He wouldn't deny it; that incident had caused terrible suffering for Tsuna, hell, it caused all of them pain. But Tsuna... he was the one who suffered the most. He could still clearly remember how Tsuna had been so... hurt back then; how he's distanced himself from everyone after that incident; locking himself in his office and drowning himself in his work. But he wasn't like that anymore, before he disappeared. He had gotten better, started hanging around them again. He started being able to smile again. Tsuna was getting better. He'd seen it himself. That's why he didn't believe that that incident was the reason Tsuna left, or even decided to leave them of his own accord.

He trusted Tsuna; he trusted that his boss and friend would talk to him, to any of them had there been a problem of some sort. And the last he'd seen Tsuna before he disappeared; there was nothing wrong with the brunet. Besides, that couldn't be the only possible reason why he disappeared. He could have been taken away just like what Reborn and Mukuro had discussed before in the meeting last month.

Gokudera kept his eyes on the report, although he was too distracted at the moment to read it. From the corner of his eye, he could see Yamamoto, still watching him with those sharp amber eyes and after a minute or two of silence, he decided to break it. "What?" he snapped, turning his head once more towards the stupid baseball freak and glared heatedly.

Yamamoto leaned back a little in his seat, but didn't relent from keeping his eyes locked on with Gokudera's. "I don't understand why you don't want to accept that reason for why Tsuna left."

"Because you weren't fucking around most of the time!" Gokudera snapped, slamming a hand on his desk. "You were away half of the time doing missions. You never really saw how Jyuudaime was handling it. You wouldn't understand. You weren't even fucking here when he disappeared!" he shouted, anger resurfacing at having to remember the events that occurred the year before, before he noticed the surprised and hurt expression that flickered on Yamamoto's face.

Ah. Shit.

That wasn't what he actually wanted to say. He didn't mean to spite at Yamamoto for being away on missions that time. The swordsman took his share of the missions because he decided he'd stay by Tsuna's side for a while, at least until the brunet had started to recover and here he was, rubbing that fact in the swordsman's face.

"I... sorry." He mumbled, sitting back down in his chair after realizing he'd stood up during his outburst, and returned to stare at the report that was left sitting open at his desk. He didn't know why he suddenly exploded like that; didn't know why Yamamoto's words ticked him off so bad. All he knew was that he suddenly felt panicked at hearing Yamamoto's words, when he understood the meaning it held beneath.

"Gokudera." Yamamoto called but he didn't budge. He couldn't look at the other at the moment. He felt... guilty, saying those words to the swordsman. But he couldn't help it. The thought that Tsuna was unable to bear the pain he had been feeling back then, that he, as the right-hand man had failed to see what his boss was going through until it had been too late and the young don had left without a trace. It scared him.

Because it felt like he had failed; not only as Tsuna's right-hand man, but also as his friend.

"Sorry." He said again. He heard a sigh coming from Yamamoto's direction. "It's okay. I didn't mean to trouble you with my own thoughts; you're already tired as is." Yamamoto said and this time, Gokudera finally decided to turn back to his fellow Guardian and see that Yamamoto was watching him, a look of understanding in his eyes, and smiled faintly the moment Gokduera straightened up in his seat.

"You know, you should really take a break. You look like you really need it, haha."

Gokudera blinked; not exactly expecting the sudden suggestion from the other Guardian right after having such a conversation and stared as Yamamoto turned back to the report he'd placed down on the coffee table, picked it up and started reading it again.

He leaned back in his chair.

Maybe... just this once, he'd listen to the baseball freak.

* * *

The scent of newly brewed coffee wafted through the air and joined the sound of idle chatter and the faint music playing inside the small cafe. Tsuna stood by the counter, a tray in hand; as he waited for the largo he was going to serve. Furtively, he took a quick glance towards the table by the corner window where Reborn was sitting and quickly returned his eyes back on the counter the moment the fedora wearing man turned in his direction.

He didn't know why, but something seemed kind of off about Reborn. He seemed more... serious than usual and gave off a scary vibe – well, scarier than usual, anyway –there was also something in the older man's expression that gave him the impression Reborn was in a bad mood.

"Hey there Sawada! What's up?" a voice suddenly spoke from behind and Tsuna jumped slightly in surprise before turning his head to look behind him to see one of the senior waiters of the cafe standing there. "M-Miyagi-san!" he squeaked. "P-Please don't surprise me like that! What if I w-was carrying an order? I might've tripped!"he added as the older waiter chuckled and gave his own order to one of the baristas. "Now now, you know I won't do that to you Sawada. You're already clumsy enough to trip on your own." The older waiter said grinning playfully.

"That's not very funny, Miyagi-san." Tsuna said, pouting when the older waiter just laughed in return. "I know, Sawada. I know. But seriously, what's up? You look a little pale." Miyagi said, tilting his head slightly to look at him better.

Tsuna blinked. "Eh? I do?" he said, turning to face one of the glass windows that was closest to them and saw in his reflection that he was, indeed, pale. "Oh, I guess it's because I'm tired." He told the other as he leaned on the counter.

Truth be told, he didn't just feel tired, he was also experiencing a headache. Maybe taking care of his neighbour, Matsunaga-san, and keeping watch over her kids tired him out more than he expected. Or maybe he got her cold? He wasn't exactly sure, and Reborn barging into his apartment so early in the morning cut off the remaining thirty minutes of sleep he was supposed to have, which, somewhat annoyed him that morning since he really did wanted to sleep a little bit more.

"Here's the order for table twelve!" one of the baristas suddenly chimed up, ringing the bell on the counter top and Tsuna took that as his queue, straightened back up and carefully took the cup of ristretto and placed it onto his tray. He turned to the older waiter who was still waiting for his own order. "Talk to you later, Miyagi-san." He said and Miyagi waved a hand as Tsuna made his way to the table by the corner window.

As he got closer, Tsuna couldn't help but tilt his head in wonder as Reborn kept his eyes on the window outside. Usually, by the time he was a three or four tables away, the fedora wearing man would already direct his attention on him, the usual smirk on his lips, and watched if he would make a mistake or trip along the way so Reborn could tease him about it. But this time, the fedora wearing man was silent and seemed to be lost in thought, not really noticing him approaching.

It was only when he was a table away did the fedora wearing man finally turned to look at him. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Here's your ristretto, Reborn." he said as he carefully placed the cup of steaming espresso on the table and watched as Reborn picked it up, took a sip and placed it back down on the table. "What?" Reborn asked, dark eyes emerging from beneath his black fedora, and Tsuna felt his shoulder's jerk up slightly at the other's tone. "N-Nothing." He mumbled, unconsciously pulling the tray he was holding closer to himself. "It's just... is something wrong?" he asked, albeit slightly hesitant.

Reborn raised a brow. "What made you think something was wrong?" he asked. Tsuna lightly shook his head. "Nothing, really. It's just that something seemed off... Like you're thinking about something really serious." He answered. Reborn stared at him for a moment, making him fidget a bit at that intense stare, before Reborn spoke again. "There is actually something I need to talk to you about." He paused, and Tsuna tilted his head in curiosity. "But it can wait 'til your shift is over. Go back to your work, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn said before returning his attention to his drink and took a sip.

Tsuna blinked at that. "But there are hardly any customers right now. The rush hour just ended." he said. True enough, the usual morning rush of college students and office workers dropping by to get an early coffee and sandwich had just passed and now that it was the short hour between breakfast and lunch, there were only a handful of people occupying the tables.

"That's not an excuse for you to slacking off of your work, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn replied smoothly and Tsuna frowned. "How many times do I have to say to you to stop calling me that?" he said before turning back to the counter where Miyagi and one of the baristas were talking, caught their attention and gestured something to them, which, they nodded in return and he sat down on the chair opposite of Reborn's.

"What are you doing?" Reborn asked just as he placed the tray he was holding on top of the table. Tsuna looked up at the fedora wearing man. "Taking my break." He answered. "Now you can tell me what's wrong." He added as he leaned back on his chair. He watched as Reborn's lips quirked ever so slightly upwards for a second or two before returning to normal. "Yamamoto was called back to Italy." He said.

"E-Eh?" he stuttered. Of all the things Reborn could say, he was definitely not expecting that one. "Why?" he asked before a thought popped in his mind. "Is it – is it for the same reason Gokudera went back to Italy?" he asked and waited for Reborn's answer. Gokudera said that there had been an emergency which was why he had to go back, but he also said that it wasn't so serious. But, then again, Vongola was a large company. Maybe even the slightest of problems could worsen into a crisis?

Reborn stared at him blankly. "That is correct." He answered. "Although it's not what you're thinking." Hearing this, Tsuna furrowed his brows in confusion. He wanted to ask Reborn what he meant but decided to remain silent so Reborn could continue. "The emergency Gokudera mentioned isn't the reason why Yamamoto had to be called back. Also," Reborn paused as he took a sip from his drink. "Gokudera and the others are thinking of bringing you back to Italy."

Had he also been drinking something, Tsuna was sure he would've spat it out when he heard what Reborn said. "W-What? W-Wait! That wasn't what we agreed on!" He argued. It wasn't that he didn't exactly want to go to Italy, in fact, some of the answers to his questions might actually be in Italy and he wanted to see the place he had been living in for the past ten years. But suddenly being told that... well, it was expected that he would be surprised.

"We did say that you could make your decision regarding that matter." Reborn started, a small smirk crawling up to his lips. "However, we never said that you would be staying here in Namimori either." He continued and Tsuna felt his eye twitch, which made Reborn's smirk grow bigger.

"Wait a minute." Tsuna held a hand up as he lightly massaged his temple with the other, feeling his headache get worse. "You said that I can_ decide_ on whether I'd _return_ to Italy or not." He said, emphasizing the words decide and return on purpose.

Reborn took another sip of his drink before turning serious dark eyes to look at him. "It's no longer safe for you to remain here, Tsuna." He started. "I don't think I need to remind you that there are people who are after your life. It will be better for you to stay in a place where there are people who will protect you." He explained. "However, I don't think you understand the gravity of your situation." Reborn sent him a look and for some reason, Tsuna felt the beginnings of dread pooling inside him.

"What – What do you mean?" he asked back.

"The Cavallione had been attacked." Reborn answered without skipping a beat.

"The... Cavallione?" Tsuna repeated, somehow feeling alarmed although he didn't know why.

Reborn leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "I've mentioned it to you before. The Cavallione is one of Vongola's closest and most powerful ally. When it was mentioned that someone was after your life, the head, Dino, had offered to investigate and search for that person. However, it seemed that he got found out by that person and was attacked yesterday.

"Whoever that person is, he wants you dead. That is why Gokudera and the others believe that it is best to have you return to Italy instead of letting you stay here and I agree with them." Reborn paused and dark eyes locked onto his. "You don't have a choice, Tsuna."

Tsuna stared at Reborn as all of the things he said slowly sunk in. Someone wanted him dead. Someone _wanted him dead_ and he didn't know who it was or why and the head of the Cavallione who offered to help find this person was attacked... wait a minute. He blinked. The head of the Cavallione, Dino... _Dino..._

A flash of blond hair and brown eyes suddenly crossed in his mind.

"W-Wait, the head of Cavallione – Dino – isn't he the one on the picture that we saw back at my house?" he asked, quickly turning back to Reborn. "That's right." Reborn answered and Tsuna noticed something pass through those dark eyes for a split second and was about to ask the other if something was wrong when he noticed something green move atop Reborn's fedora.

"Tsuna?" he heard Reborn call as he kept his eyes on Reborn's fedora and, after a couple of seconds, finally realized what it was.

"Lizzard." He blurted and Reborn blinked. "Reborn, you have a green lizard on your hat." He told the other, wondering if Reborn was too preoccupied with his thoughts that he hadn't noticed a lizard prowling on his hat and instead lightly shook his head.

"Dame-Tsuna." Was the only thing he heard from Reborn before the fedora wearing man raised a hand and smacked him on the head. "Reborn! What was that for?" Tsuna asked bewilderedly, quickly leaning away from Reborn and rubbed the throbbing part of his head.

"Dame-Tsuna is really dame." Reborn sighed and raised a hand allowing the green lizard to jump onto. "Leon is not a lizard, it's a chameleon." He said as he held up his hand for Tsuna to see.

Upon hearing the other's words, Tsuna stopped and carefully leaned forward to get a better look at the chameleon. However, just as he was inches away, Leon suddenly jumped towards him, completely taking him by surprise, and landed on his shoulder. "Wah! What the heck?" he exclaimed and he turned to Reborn for help only to see that the other was clearly enjoying his confusion.

"R-Reborn!" he called, torn between leaning closer to get Reborn to help and inching away from the green lizard on his shoulder, when he felt something thin and warm touch his cheek for a second and he stopped. Slowly turning, he saw that the green lizard – Leon, as Reborn called him – was watching him. "What..." he started as Leon blinked its small, beady, yellow eyes and flicked its tongue once more.

Somewhat reminded of the incident with Natsu, Tsuna found himself curious about the green chameleon and, upon feeling nothing dangerous from the small reptile, he slowly raised a hand to pet its head, careful not to startle it. As his finger touched the small head, Leon closed its small yellow eyes

"Leon, huh?" Tsuna muttered as he returned his gaze to Reborn. "So, it's your pet?" he asked and let out a yelp of pain as Reborn smacked him once more on the head. "Why do you keep hitting me?" he asked bewilderedly.

Reborn smirked. "Dame-Tsuna, Leon is not a pet, it is my partner and it's a chameleon, not a lizard. Don't make me repeat myself." He sent a glare at Tsuna, his lips turning into a smirk when Tsuna cringed and nodded. "Good." He said and picked up his cup to take another sip.

"A partner..." Tsuna mumbled as he held out a hand for Leon to crawl onto and turned to Reborn. "You mean... like Natsu?" he turned back to the fedora wearing man.

Reborn turned to him and leaned back in his chair. "No. They're different." He said. "Though, I suppose there are a few similarities." He added as an afterthought before finishing up his drink. "Oh." Tsuna said, his eyes still on the small reptile. He didn't really understand what Reborn meant when he said similarities there were similarities between Natsu and Leon. After all, Leon looked like a regular chameleon compared to Natsu who had flames for its mane.

A waving hand somewhere to his left suddenly caught his eye and he turned towards it only to see Miyagi, the ever present grin on his face, waving a hand, beckoning him to come to the counter. "Go." He turned towards Reborn. "We'll talk more later." Reborn added and Tsuna nodded, understanding the meaning in Reborn's words, and stood. "Okay." He said and grabbed the tray he brought along with him before hurriedly walking back towards the counter.

"Is something wrong, Miyagi-san?" he asked as soon as he reached the counter. "Ah, yeah." Miyagi said, scratching his cheek. "One of the supply deliveries we're expecting just came. Head chef's checked it out since the manager went on an errand." He explained and gestured for Tsuna to follow towards the backdoor. "He said everything's here so now all that's left is to move these-" he gestured towards the large boxes piled on the floor. "-to the storeroom. Two of the kitchen staff are absent today so it's only the head chef and his assistant are in the kitchen and they can't exactly leave it unattended so..." Miyagi paused as he let the explanation sink in before continuing. "We have to help out. You okay with that?" Miyagi asked, a sliver of concern directed at him.

Tsuna eyed the boxes for a couple of seconds before returning his attention to the other. "It's fine, Miyagi-san." He said, smiling a bit. Truth be told, he wasn't exactly up for carrying the boxes. Aside from his slowly worsening headache, he was also feeling rather tired. But since this was work, he really didn't have much room for complaint.

Complying with the older waiter's request, Tsuna bent down to pick up two boxes placed on top of each other and stood, feeling his body protest at the sudden strain on his arms, before following the other to the storeroom. "You okay, Sawada?" he heard Miyagi ask from within the storeroom. "Yeah, I'm fine." He answered as he entered the room, the cool temperature of the storeroom a welcome escape from the warm kitchen, and placed the box down.

Miyagi stared at him. "You still look a bit pale. Maybe you should just stay here and restock the shelves. Leave the boxes to me." He said.

"E-Eh? B-But I'm fine." Tsuna insisted, following the older man back to the boxes in the kitchen. Miyagi turned back as soon as he spoke and gave him a look. "Stay and restock the shelves, Sawada." The man said rather sternly, taking Tsuna by surprise, before going back out to get more boxes.

Tsuna stared at the doorway where Miyagi stood a few seconds ago before sighing and returning his attention to the boxes by his feet. Opening one, he picked up several packs of coffee beans and placed them on the shelf. Honestly, he didn't know why he was feeling so tired. All he did yesterday was take care of his neighbour, Matsunaga-san, and watch over her kids. He didn't even have any work yesterday and yet here he was feeling like he'd doze off the moment he arrived home.

"Maybe I should have stayed at home." he mumbled to himself as he picked up a few more packs of coffee beans. "Ah, then again, Reborn would've kept on bothering me." He added, placing the packs on the tall, steel shelf. The fedora wearing man had barged into his apartment so early in the morning and rattled him so much that he had forgotten to check up on Matsunaga-san and see if she got better. "I wonder how she's doing." He thought out loud. He should probably go over her apartment later and see if she's doing better. Despite the fact that he might have actually caught her flu, he still couldn't just leave her alone; especially since her children were still too young to take care of themselves, much less their mother.

"Now that I think about it..." he mumbled, stopping just as his arm was midway through placing another pack on the shelf. "...When did Matsunaga-san take her kids back?" he blinked curiously. Did he bring them back last night? Or did she come that morning to pick them up? It was just a fleeting thought that he'd had right after he woke up; one that was easily shoved to the back of his mind with Reborn's sudden visit. But now that he thought about it, he didn't really know what happened to the children.

He sighed and lightly shook his head. Thinking about it right now wouldn't do anything. With Reborn telling him about Cavallione and returning to Italy as well as worrying about Matsunaga-san and her children, worrying about it wouldn't do him any good with his current condition. If anything, he'd just have to ask Matsunaga-san or the children...

Wait a minute.

Tsuna froze as something akin to panic laced with confusion suddenly arose within him. "The children..." he mumbled. "...what were their names again?" he thought aloud, his voice slightly tinged with incredulity at the thought that he couldn't remember the children's names. He couldn't have forgotten their names so easily, especially since he'd spent the whole day with them. How could he? It was impossible, absurd even... But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't remember their names.

He felt his headache getting worse and he took a deep breath. "Calm down." He said to himself. Okay. Maybe it was possible to forget their names. He wasn't that good at remembering them anyway. He paused for a moment before thinking that maybe recalling their appearance would help him remember the names.

However, as soon as the thought came to mind, it was quickly dissolved as Tsuna realized, with a sinking horror pooling inside him, that he couldn't remember anything. He couldn't remember anything _at all._

"What..." was all he was able to mutter as he tried desperately to recall the events that occurred yesterday. The sick neighbour, the call he made to Reborn, the afternoon spent with the children... The more he thought about it, tried to recall it, the more everything seemed blurry to him. He couldn't remember anything from yesterday at all.

He couldn't even remember which apartment Matsunaga-san lived in.

A sharp pain suddenly pierced his head and he instinctively held it with his hands, leaving the packs of coffee he held to fall to the floor with a quiet thud. Quickly reaching out a hand, he had just barely held onto the steel shelf when the sound of an explosion was heard and the ground shook, making him tumble to the ground along with one of the steel shelves that held the coffee beans and several other ingredients as a strong gust of wind and dust entered the small room.

Groaning in pain, Tsuna opened his eyes, not realizing that he had closed them on instinct and sighed in relief when he saw the steel shelf didn't fall on him and was, instead, leaning diagonally against the shelf behind him; encasing him in the small space created below with packs of coffee beans and confectioner's sugar. Quickly removing himself from the mess, he slowly stood, his head still throbbing with pain, and made his way out to the kitchen.

What he saw next made him freeze. The kitchen was a mess; various food and utensils were scattered across the floor and wall together, the boxes of deliveries and a couple of tables were thrown off in different directions, a large gaping hole replaced the wall separating the kitchen and the serving area with bits of it still crumbling down and fire was spreading in certain parts of the room and walls.

Shaken by the scene, Tsuna took a step back, eyes slowly wandering over the destruction when it fell to a figure lying beneath the knocked over steel shelf and large chunks of the destroyed wall. He quickly scurried over when he realized it was the head chef. "A-Are you o-okay?" he asked frantically, pulling the smaller chunks of concrete off the man and shoved the metal shelf until the man was free before kneeling beside him. A pained groan was heard from the chef, but that was it and as Tsuna looked over the blood coming from the man's head, he realized that the head chef was completely knocked out, but didn't sustain any serious wounds. Panicked, he looked around.

What happened? What was that explosion? And the others, Reborn and Miyagi-san, the customers and the baristas too... were they alright?

After a few seconds of trying to calm himself only to end up failing, Tsuna turned towards the destroyed wall where he could still hear voices and movement followed by gunshots on the other side. Slowly, carefully, he tried to move as quiet as possible over to the area where what little remaining of the crumbling wall stood and after gathering the courage, carefully took a look at what was happening on the other side.

The dread filling him only increased as he saw the destroyed serving area. Tables were broken and strewn across the floor together with the broken glassware and bits of concrete, the glass door and windows were broken with some parts of the curtains and walls being engulfed by fire and bullet holes littered the place. From what he could see of the counter, the two baristas were huddled together, one of them sporting a bleeding arm while the other had and injured leg and somewhere in the serving area was a body lying in a pool of blood...

"_I don't think I need to remind you that there are people who are after your life."_

Reborn's words from earlier suddenly rang in his mind and he felt his heart drop. Was this... was this what Reborn meant? That the people who were after him really plan on killing him, even to such an extent that innocent people were harmed? Was all this happening because of him? Because he was here? Because he was the head of Vongola? Because Vongola was such a powerful existence that being at the head of it meant his life was brought to constant danger?

What the heck was Vongola, really?

The shock and adrenaline rushing through his body made him feel lethargic as his mind processed the information Reborn had told him earlier. If this was what would happen if he stayed in Namimori, then, he can't stay here...

"Sawada."

A hand suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder making him jerk terribly in surprise and he whipped his head towards the source of the voice and felt a sliver of relief enter his system when he saw Miyagi kneeling beside him. "M-Miyagi-san-"

"What are you still doing here Sawada? You have to get out of here!" the senior waiter whispered urgently and Tsuna stared at the older man in confusion. "I – I don't understand, what-"

"We don't have enough time. We have to go." Miyagi cut him off and Tsuna yelped as he was pulled to his feet and led towards the backdoor. He looked back to the serving area fearfully before turning back to the other. "W-Wait! There're still people back there!" he said. "There're people armed with weapons and – and someone's hurt really badly! We have to go back and help them!" he added but the senior waiter merely pulled him forward. "It's alright, Sawada. Reborn will take care of those guys." He said seriously.

Tsuna stared at the older man incredulously. How – how can someone say that so detachedly? And saying that Reborn would take care of those men... Why did it sound like Miyagi knew who Reborn was? Why did it sound like he knew what the fedora wearing man was capable of?

Realization dawned on him and Tsuna stopped and yanked himself away from the other. He stared at Miyagi apprehensively as the man stopped and turned to look at him questioningly. "Sawada?" Miyagi called out.

"Are you one of them?"

"What?"

"I said, are you one of them?" Tsuna asked again, more forceful that the first as he took a step away from the senior waiter. If what Reborn said was true, that meant that he couldn't trust anyone. At least, anyone aside from Reborn, Yamamoto and Gokudera; and if this man knew who Reborn was, it was possible that Miyagi was among the men running after his life.

Miyagi seemed to notice this as well and quickly raised his hands up. "Hold on, Sawada. I'm not one of them." he said insistently.

"How would I know what you're saying is true?" Tsuna asked back,now eyeing the older man warily.

"Because, Dame-Tsuna, he's a member of Vongola."

The familiar, deep voice snapped both of them from the tense atmosphere that emerged between them and they both turned to the source of the voice.

"Chaos." Reborn greeted, his signature smirk gracing his lips as he walked closer to where Tsuna and Miyagi were. "Dame-Tsuna, it was good that you finally understood your situation, however," Tsuna let out a yelp as he received a painful smack on the head from Reborn. "you chose the wrong person to doubt. As I've said before, Miyagi is a member of Vongola." The fedora wearing man explained and Tsuna turned to look at him while nursing his head.

"What's going on, Reborn?" he asked, noticing that Reborn had his gun out. Reborn merely tilted his fedora. "Someone decided to plant a bomb in the cafe. Anyway, I'll explain more later, for now, we have to go." He said and Tsuna, although still confused, nodded and started to follow when Miyagi continued to lead them to another alley.

"Where are we going?" He asked Reborn, trying to match the man's quick pace despite his worsening headache.

"It's earlier than we expected. But since something like this has already happened, we're going back to Italy." Reborn answered.

Tsuna slowed down for a moment as he heard Reborn's reply, before nodding and catching up to the fedora wearing man. "Hey, Reborn." he called after a few seconds of silence. "Vongola isn't just a company, is it?" he asked.

Reborn maintained his fast pace, not once turning to look at him. "No, it isn't." He answered truthfully. "Vongola's group of companies is just a front. What we really are is something much more larger and powerful." He added before turning slightly to the side, dark eyes boring into Tsuna's brown ones.

"Vongola is the strongest mafia Famiglia in the world."

* * *

Author's Notes:

And there you go! Chapter 19! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

Thank you for all those who reviewed/Favorited/followed/alerted this story! It really means a lot to me. ^^ If you wouldn't mind, and if you have the time, I'd really appreciate it if you guys would review and let me know what you think. (Plus, it adds to my motivation to write faster.)

Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter 20

Author's Notes:

First things first... I AM SO SORRY FOR THE SUPER LATE UPDATE! I've been meaning to update this story for a long time now but every time I tried to write something happens! And, just to cut the long story short, I've had serious bouts of writer's block, hit by extreme procrastination and all those stuff life throws at me.

Oh, and there's a bit of an A/N at the bottom that I'd really appreciate if you read.

Again, I apologize for the extremely long wait and i hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

Beta'd by Danielle Luna Soulhart

* * *

Chapter 20

The quiet hum of the engine could be heard as Tsuna stared at the scenic view of mountains and towns through the window. He watched as large puffy clouds sailed the sky in the distance, casting shadows over the land below. He sighed.

It had been almost an hour since he and Reborn left Namimori via the private jet Miyagi had arranged for them once they've moved away from the cafe. He had expected that all three of them would be leaving for Italy and was thoroughly surprised when the senior waiter said that it would just be him and Reborn flying back to Italy. Apparently, Miyagi had other priorities, that he had to attend to once he and Reborn left.

He had been worried, since some of those people who attacked the cafe might still be lurking in town, but Miyagi reassured him that he'd be fine and it was the last thing he heard before Reborn pulled him into the private jet owned by Vongola and flew off for Italy. Speaking of Reborn...

Chocolate brown eyes moved towards the other side of the room where a part of the small hallway connecting to the tail section of the jet could be seen. He had still wanted to ask Reborn a few more questions, but the hitman had quickly headed off to other side, saying that he had to make a call, and still hadn't returned.

A sudden pain shot across his head for a second and he winced, bringing up a hand to lightly massage his temple to ease his still persistent headache. When it receded, he let out a sigh and opened his eyes, seeing the insignia of the Vongola weaved into the lush red carpet.

"_Vongola is the strongest mafia Famiglia in the world."_

Reborn's words rang in his mind as he absentmindedly stared at the Vongola insignia, letting his gaze linger for a few seconds more, before turning to look at the view outside the window once more. Out of all of the possible explanations he could have thought of as to why Reborn and the others had kept some information from him, he never expected it to be the mafia, of all things. Although, he did understand now why Yamamoto had insisted on making him run towards the underground mall that day he was being chased around throughout the town in the rain, he never thought that something as large as a hidden underground base owned by the Vongola resided within those walls and the very thought of having one's own secret base was still enough to awe him.

Reborn had explained to him, when they arrived at the underground base, about what Vongola really is; how he, a normal fourteen-year-old boy, had become the boss of the strongest mafia famiglia in the world and what he and his friends – ; his Guardians, Reborn told him – had gone through before he had finally accepted the title Vongola Decimo and took his place as Vongola's don. The hitman also told him that aside from being his tutor, Reborn was also the world's greatest hitman.

It sounded incredulous, and highly dubious, but it was the truth. Moreover, the fact that he was involved in the mafia had answered some of the questions that had been plaguing this mind.

Leaning back on the plush, warm seat, he let his head tilt to the side, lightly hitting the carbon fibered wall of the jet they were currently flying in, but kept his eyes on the view outside his window. He'd have to admit, despite seeing the proof that showed him everything Reborn had told him was true, it was still rather hard to accept. To learn that he was not only involved in the mafia, but to be actually sitting in the midst of it as Vongola's tenth don, to be exact, was definitely something his mind needed time to adjust with. Especially when he saw himself as someone who couldn't even do much more than to just run around evading and dodging projectiles directed at him. However...

Tearing his gaze away from the scenic view outside his window, he lowered his gaze to his right hand where he wore the Vongola ring.

If he was indeed the Vongola Decimo that Reborn had told him he was, then it made perfect sense, as painful as it was, as to why his mother had suffered so much and died so brutally. Being the mother of a mafia boss, it was obvious that she would be one of the most targeted people that could be used to bring him down.

A heavy feeling settled itself in his chest as he recalled what Reborn told him that time they were in the cemetery. The hitman said that when his mother was taken as a hostage, he had done everything he could in his power to find her, to save her, but he never gave in to their demands. When he thought about it now, now that he knew who he really was, he couldn't help but wonder if the Vongola was something he couldn't just give up to save his mother's life. Was it really that important to him? Or was there something else in the mafia that held him in and prevented him from saving his mother? He didn't know, and he didn't know if he even wanted those questions answered.

Moving his eyes away from the ring on his right hand, he returned to idly watching the view outside. The mountains and cities below were replaced by vast plains painted in green and gold and roads, looking like thin grey ribbons, snaked across the fields. A sharp pain shot across his head and he instinctively held up a hand to hold his head steady, closing his eyes as he let the painful throbbing of his head recede. With so many things happening all at earlier, not once had his headache disappeared. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse despite it still settling within tolerable.

A soothing warmth enveloped his right hand, making him turn to it instinctively, and oranges eyes engulfed by bright orange flames met his gaze.

"Gao."

"Natsu..." Tsuna murmured as the small lion cub emerged from the Vongola ring and watched as Natsu plopped down onto his lap, its tail wagging to and fro as its head tilted upwards to look at him eagerly. "Gao~" it mewled and pawed him gently a couple of times.

Understanding what the lion cub was trying to do, Tsuna smiled, small but genuine, and gently ran a hand through the flaming mane, relishing the warmth it emanated. "I'm fine, Natsu." He told the lion cub who purred and leaned in to his hand. "I'm just tired." He added as he once again leaned back in to the plush warm seat, playing with the small cub for a moment before sinking himself further into the comfortable seat, his eyes slowly closing as his throbbing headache demanded for rest.

The last thing he remembered before he entered the world of unconsciousness was the warmth of Natsu's fur grazing his arm and the slight dipping of the cushion to his left as it settled down beside him before he fell into deep slumber.

_The grey-coloured floor of the hospital seem to glow in the light as he let his eyes fall onto it, keeping his gaze there as he tried to sift through the turbulent emotions running through him. _

_He didn't know what to think anymore. His mind seemed to be in a haze as he tried to recall the series of events that happened just before he had arrived at the hospital in such a frenzied state and entered the emergency room. _

_He had been in a meeting with Nono, they were arguing about something...something important, but he couldn't seem to recall it right now, all he knew was that he was angry about something Nono had said; then Hayato busted through the door looking so panicked, so distressed. He said something; his words coming out in stutters and was sputtering so much that he had to calm his right-hand man down so that he could understand what he wanted to say and that was when he heard it, her name, uttered somewhere between the sputtering and stuttering of his right-hand man and he stopped._

_Dread started to run through him, so much so that it felt like he was going to drown, and he instantly ordered his Storm to tell him everything as fear and panic overcame his whole being at the implications brought about by her being included in the report ran through his mind. Then after what seemed like eternity for him, though it only took a few seconds in reality, Hayato had told him what happened: terrorists entering Vongola territory, a scuffle between them and another famiglia, a crossfire surfacing within the chaos, and he felt like the world had stopped the moment he heard Hayato utter her name once more somewhere between explosions and gunfire and that was enough to have him run out the door._

_What happened next, he couldn't recall clearly. Everything became a blur of faces and voices and places and by the time he realized it, they were at the hospital running through the corridor, the faces of his Guardians contorted into a mixture of emotions he could vaguely recognize coming up to meet him. But he ignored them, the fear gripping his heart growing tighter and tighter as the grief-stricken and distressed voices of his Guardians reached his ears imploring for him to stop and wait for them to explain. But he didn't stop; he couldn't, and instead went on running towards the emergency room where they said she was in and pushed the doors open..._

_...and felt his heart stop._

"_Tsuna." The familiar baritone voice of his tutor broke him from his thoughts and he blinked, snapping out of his train of thoughts as the strong smell of antiseptic permeating the room flooded his nostrils, dragging him back to reality. He blinked, suddenly becoming painfully aware of his surroundings; the smooth feel of the single-seated plastic bench curving against his back, the cold blowing air blasted from the air conditioning system, the white-washed walls that seemed to shine with the artificial lighting and the starchy scent of the spotless white cloth he could still see through that small crack in the door of the emergency room draped over her still figure lying on the small cot, cold, limp, lifeless-_

"_Tsuna." His tutor spoke once more and he vaguely noted the slight change in the tone, the deep baritone gaining just the slightest tint of sharpness that often warned him that the hitman wanted him to either stop dawdling in his thoughts and to listen as the hitman drilled lessons into his head or to listen in those extremely rare moments Reborn wanted to reassure him in his own sadistic, Spartan way that everything would be alright._

_But nothing was alright; nothing in this world was ever going to be alright. Not for him. Not when he felt like there was a large, gaping hole in his heart with no reassurance of ever being filled again because she was gone._

_Silence permeated the air as both of them remained in their place, Reborn standing a few feet away with him sitting on the bench stationed directly outside the emergency room doors. None of them did anything until a few seconds had passed and Reborn sighed. "Dame-Tsuna, how long are you going to keep sitting there looking like a lost kid?" he asked though his words lacked its usual bite._

_He blinked at his tutor's words, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side as if he was in thought before finally looking up to meet the dark, obsidian eyes of Reborn. "I'm not going back." He said, his voice coming out a bit raspy from all the crying he had done earlier. "I can't. I'm not leaving her. Not like this." he said, his voice becoming nothing more than a whisper and he looked up at his tutor. "Would that make me selfish?"_

"_No. It doesn't." Reborn answered without missing a beat, his usual blank stare falling on him. "If anything, I would've probably hit you if you just walked out of here as if everything was normal." He added, leaning slightly on one leg as he brought a hand into his pocket, seemingly taking something out of it, and deftly tossed it in the air for him to catch. "Here."_

_Not expecting such an action from his tutor, he let out a quiet yelp as he brought his hands up; barely managing to catch the object Reborn had given him before looking down on his hands to see what it was and he stilled. "This is..." was the only thing he managed to utter the moment he set his eyes on the small silver ring he held in his hand, the small clear stone it held gleaming brightly in the light. _

"_I was asked to give you this." Reborn said as he buried his hands into his pockets. "Chrome told me one of the nurses handed it to her saying it had fallen off while they were trying to revive her." he explained._

_He sat still, almost unmoving, as Reborn's words sunk in. He wanted to look at his tutor, to say something, anything; but he couldn't. His mouth suddenly felt too dry, his throat constricting and all he could do was stare at the ring – her ring – in his hand. It was the ring he had given her years ago; accompanied by the promise he had tried so hard but failed to keep._

_He failed to protect her._

"_I... really am dame." He mumbled, his voice threatening to crack as his lips started to tremble. "I couldn't protect my mom, I couldn't protect Kyoko... I couldn't protect-" he sobbed, choking slightly for air as the words he wanted to say remained lodged in his throat. Warm tears suddenly started to form around his eyes and slowly trickle down his face again as the emotions he had been trying to reign in overflowed. He closed his hand around the ring and brought it close to his chest and more tears fell down his face as he closed his eyes._

_She was gone._

_He would never see her again. He would never see those beautiful coffee-brown eyes staring at him with adoration and love anymore, never feel the warm reassurance he always felt whenever she held his hand nor would he ever hear that light, melodious voice softly calling his name. He would never experience those moments again because she was dead. She was gone and it hurt so much that he wanted to die._

_She was his life; the only one who always brought him back to the surface each and every time he felt like he was about to drown in the darkness of the mafia. She was his solace, his saving grace..._

_He didn't know if she knew, or if he had ever told her, but she had saved him so many times in the years they were together; had risked and sacrificed so much of her life just so that they could be together, so that they could one day live together but he... he failed. He failed to keep his promise; he had failed protect her, to protect them and he didn't know what to do anymore. _

_He had already lost so much in his life that he didn't know if he could still bear the pain of losing her too. Without her, he didn't know if he could still go on living._

_Another sob managed to escape his lips as the tears continued to fall freely, uncontrollable even, and his breath hitched as he gasped for air, his lungs constricting so much he couldn't breathe. Once more, he felt himself being pulled down into the darkness, drowning in the life he had been struggling to live in and this time there was no one there to bring him back to the surface._

_Because she was dead; and everything that had been holding him up was slowly falling apart._

"...una...Tsuna!"

Tsuna felt himself jerk back slightly, his eyes opening automatically before quickly shutting them close as bright light pervaded his sight. "Tsuna." He heard a voice call and he opened his eyes once more, slower this time, as his mind immediately recognized the voice. "...Reborn?" he said as he blinked a couple more times to get used to the lighting and looked up at the fedora-wearing man standing in front of him.

"Chaos." The hitman greeted and Tsuna couldn't help but notice how Reborn's brows furrowed downwards ever so slightly it was almost unnoticeable and there was – was that concern? – in those usually unreadable, dark eyes.

"Is – Is something wrong?" Tsuna asked, not entirely sure what had the other looking concerned, before he felt something warm and wet fall from the corner of his eyes and he blinked. "What..." quickly raising a hand to see what it was, he trailed his fingers over his cheek, feeling a cold, wet trail leading down his face, before pulling it back and saw that it was wet with tears. "What the..." he mumbled as he brought up his other hand to wipe away the tears.

"You've been crying." Reborn said and Tsuna turned his attention to the man. "Natsu's been trying to wake you up when I came back but you wouldn't budge. I was half tempted to smack you awake when you finally woke up." The hitman explained and Tsuna somewhat felt thankful for waking up on his own. He did not what to be awoken so violently, at least, not by Reborn.

A small weight sitting by his thigh shifted and it was only then that he noticed the bright, flaming mane brushing against his arm. "Natsu." He called and the small lion cub's ears perked up, it's small head tilting upwards to look at him before leaping onto his lap. "Gao." It mewled quietly, almost sounding worriedly, and Tsuna ran a hand through its mane in hopes of calming the cub down.

"Sorry for not waking up earlier, Natsu. I didn't mean to worry you." He said and Natsu leaned against his hand, purring ever so slightly as his hand went behind an ear and scratched there for a second or two. Really though, he didn't feel any kind of force waking him up earlier, at least, not until Reborn woke him up.

Speaking of Reborn...

He turned towards the fedora-wearing man, feeling his dark, unreadable eyes staring at him, and he asked. "What?"

"Why were you crying?" came the hitman's reply and he stilled. Why was he crying? He remained silent for a moment, forcing his mind to pull away from the heaviness of sleep that still lingered in his mind and body, and tried to recall anything that would give him a clue.

"I..." he started, pausing for a bit as he realized, with the ever familiar feeling of panic rising in his chest, that he doesn't remember anything – no – he _can't_ remember anything _at all._

"Tsuna?" he heard Reborn call as his gaze fell down onto the carpet below him.

"I don't know."

Silence fell between them as he let his words hang in the air. "You don't know?" Reborn repeated, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly and Tsuna knew that Reborn doubted his words. "No. I don't know." He said once more. He wasn't lying, it was the truth. The moment he had felt awake enough to realize what was happening to him he knew that something felt amiss, like there was a hazy feeling of familiarity in his mind that was so faint he missed it.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, wracking his brain in an attempt to remember something, _anything_ at all. "I'm not lying, Reborn." he spoke, looking back at the fedora-wearing man almost hopeful as he tried to make the other understand that he really did not know what made him cry. "I'm not." Reborn watched him, gaze unwavering as he spoke. "I never said that you were. I was merely asking to confirm what you said is true." He paused. "Besides, you've been my student for years now, I would know if you lied right in front of me." He added; smirking a bit as Tsuna relaxed. "However, I'm curious as to what happened. Are you sure you really don't remember?" he asked and Tsuna felt his eye twitch.

"No. I already said that I don't remember." he answered curtly before pausing. "Although..." he trailed off as his gaze lowered down onto his hands. "...I can't help but feel like I was dreaming." He said after a short moment. Well, at least that was what it felt like.

"A dream?" he heard Reborn ask and he looked back at the hitman and nodded. "I'm not sure though, it's more like experiencing feelings and sensations than seeing a dream." He explained. A pregnant pause fell between them and for a moment, only the jet engine's quiet hum could be heard. "So can you remember anything about this dream at all?" Reborn asked a moment later, and Tsuna hung his head in thought.

Thinking more about it, he wasn't exactly sure if it was a dream though the possibility seemed to become more and more plausible since together with the sensations lingering within his sleep-addled mind, he realized that he could remember bits and pieces of things: colours, objects barely passing his line of sight, glimpses of faces that felt so familiar but couldn't recall. But when he tried to reach for it, tried to see what it was, it would disappear like water passing through his fingers.

It was frustrating, to say the least. Something inside him kept telling him that it was something important, something that he should know about but couldn't recollect and it was frustrating him because he knew it was just there at the back of his mind, lingering out of reach.

Letting out a sigh, Tsuna ran a hand through his hair. Something cool and small shifted underneath his shirt and, puzzled, he reached inside, pulling out the chain he had been wearing around his neck, the silver ring stumbling out as well.

A flash of silver flickered in his mind and Tsuna stilled, his eyes widening slightly as he tried to process what it was he had just seen. Slowly, he held the ring closer, letting it lie on his palm and watched how the light gleamed on the clear stone.

"_I was asked to give you this."_

He gasped lightly as an image of him holding onto the ring flickered through his mind and his hand flinched ever so slightly. He blinked. What... What was that?

"Tsuna?" He looked up to Reborn who had a look that crossed between questioning and attentiveness. "I..." He started, looking back down at the ring on his palm uncertainly. "I think I remembered something..." Reborn seemed to perk up at this but remained silent and Tsuna took this as his que to continue. "This ring, you were the one who gave it to me, didn't you?" he asked looking back at Reborn, waiting for the hitman's response.

Reborn met his gaze and for a moment, Tsuna thought he saw a flicker of contemplation pass in those dark, unreadable eyes. "That's right." Reborn answered. "I gave them to you."

"Since when?"

"Almost two years ago."

"Why?"

At this question, the hitman paused for a moment before answering. "It was only right to give you that ring. No one else would have been more appropriate to have that." he answered and Tsuna fell silent as he considered Reborn's words. "...Why?" he asked, his fingers curling around the ring and held it close. "Why is this ring so important to me?" He had been told that before, both by his own self through the letter he had and Reborn that that ring was important to him, and even without having been told, he could feel it within himself, from that voice that always seemed to be there telling him what to do, that it was something he treasured.

Reborn stared back at him, his voice having gone completely serious now. "You said it was a promise ring." He answered. "You gave it to that person years ago, before you had fully taken on the mantle of Vongola Decimo."

Tsuna furrowed his brows in question. "That person?"

"Sasagawa Kyoko."

He stared, his mind recognizing the familiar name and quickly went through his memories. A girl with auburn, shoulder-length hair, soft coffee-brown eyes and a bright smile standing beside him in one of the picture frames in his bedroom at the Sawada house flashed in his mind. Sasagawa Kyoko. A classmate and sister of one of his friends, that's what Yamamoto told him when he asked about the people in the group picture he found in his room.

He opened his hand again and took another look at the ring he held before turning to Reborn. "Wait a minute; you said that this ring is a promise ring, which means..." Reborn seemed to already know what he wanted to ask and nodded. "She's your girlfriend." He said. "You've been together for almost ten years."

Tsuna leaned back in his seat as he let the information sink in. Now he knew why Reborn had said that the ring was important to him and it was also most likely the reason why it was the only other object that his former self chose to keep along with the Vongola ring. It was a promise ring, Kyoko's promise ring; one that he gave to her. But-

"I don't understand something." He blurted out, an inkling feeling suddenly rising in his chest. "If this ring was something I gave to her, then why... why do I have it with me?" he asked, his voice faltering slightly as he asked the question. Did they break up? Did he leave her, or she left him? Was that why he had the ring back with him, or-

"You didn't break up." Reborn spoke as if reading his very thoughts and Tsuna looked questioningly at the hitman. "Then why?" he asked. If they didn't break up, then that would mean they were still together. But he had the ring that Reborn said he had given to her before he officially became Vongola Decimo, which meant that she must've had the ring with her for years now and-

"She's dead."

Tsuna froze, his train of thought completely halting to a stop as he let Reborn's words sink in. "What... W-What did you say?" he asked, his voice coming out slightly breathless and tinged with disbelief.

"She's dead." Reborn met his gaze evenly, his dark, unreadable eyes looking at him in complete seriousness.

"Sasagawa Kyoko is dead."

* * *

The loud chatter and sounds created from the hustle and bustle of people shuffling about rang throughout the large area together with the constant chiming of the speakers announcing the arrival and departure of numerous flights. Amidst the crowd, Ryouhei stood by the large glass windows, his usual high-spirited attitude replaced with a much calmer, less extreme one as he checked his phone messages. Receiving none, he sighed and pocketed his phone as he returned to watching the people frolic about around him, meeting relatives and friends or looking for their baggage and what not.

He had extremely rushed to the airport after he was called in by Chrome and was informed about having to pick someone up from the airport. At first he really didn't get why he had to go since most, if not all of the Guardians, all had their hands full with handling affairs with the allied and neutral famiglias and taking care of the remaining Cavallione as well as investigating the perpetrators of their attack. Ryouhei was extremely busy as well with meetings and paperwork. However, when Chrome had mentioned who it was that he needed to meet, Ryuohei quickly understood the reason why.

Tsuna was coming back.

Once he was informed further of what happened back in Japan, Ryouhei instantly understood why Reborn had to bring Tsuna back. It wasn't safe anymore for the brunet to stay in Namimori after having numerous attempts at his life and Ryouhei was sure he would've done the same thing as Reborn to protect Tsuna. After all, the brunet was more than just his friend and boss, Tsuna was a part of his family.

After making some quick preparations and changing into casual clothes, he immediately headed straight to the airport, his happiness at seeing Tsuna again after disappearing for a year almost making him want to shout in excitement. However, because of this, he had unfortunately forgotten to ask the female Mist about the most crucial information he needed to know.

He forgot to ask the time of Sawada's flight.

Grumbling to himself, he checked the time once more on his watch and sighed. Thirty more minutes until the Vongola's private jet arrived and already, he'd been in the airport since two hours ago and he had resisted the urge to extremely bang his head against the wall for all the hurrying and rushing that he did. Luckily though, he wasn't alone.

"Seeing you looking so serious is weird, Ryouhei-nii."

Ryouhei turned to his left and saw Lambo walking back towards him, two large orders of smoothies held in both hands, and stopped right beside him as he handed him one. "Did the jet arrive yet?" he asked as Ryouhei took the offered smoothie.

The young Bovino had overheard that Tsuna was on the way back to Italy in one of their private jets and had insisted he come along to welcome them back. Chrome had been a bit reluctant at first, since most of the Guardians were busy handling all the chaos and affairs that followed the Cavallione attack, but Lambo insisted further and even begged her to allow him to go and in the end, Chrome yielded and agreed, thus allowing Lambo to tag along with Ryouhei to the airport.

"No. The jet still won't be here for..." he checked his watch. "twenty minutes." He said and glanced down at his drink. "Oi, Lambo. What is this extremely white stuff you ordered for me!?" he asked, the volume of his voice increasing as he shoved the large cup he was holding towards Lambo's face to show the white fluffy contents inside. Lambo winced and quickly took a step back. "Goodness, you didn't have to shout you stupid lawn-head!" he said, covering an ear with one hand and holding his smoothie close to himself. "I'm standing right beside you and I can hear you perfectly fine." The teen said peevishly. "And that's a coconut smoothie!" he added, pointing a finger at the beverage Ryouhei was holding.

"Oh. I didn't know there was a coconut flavour." Ryouhei grinned sheepishly as Lambo huffed and returned his attention somewhere else. He took a sip of the coconut smoothie instantly decided that he extremely liked the flavour. He took a glance at Lambo's and paused. "Is that strawberry?" he raised a brow, extremely surprised at the fact that Lambo was drinking something not purple, and grape for once, but was instead pink and smelled very much like strawberries.

Lambo grumbled. "They didn't have any grape flavours at that place, so I took the next best thing." he said, annoyed, and took another sip of the pink-coloured beverage before pausing and pointing to a certain direction. "Is that them?" he said looking surprised all of a sudden.

Ryouhei quickly turned to the direction Lambo was pointing at and slightly squinted his eyes to see over the throng of people crowding the area. A second later though, he felt excitement course through him as he saw the familiar black fedora with a single yellow stripped followed by chocolate brown gravity-defying hair just several feet away from one of the gates. "OI! WE'RE EXTREMELY OVER HERE TO THE EXTREME!" He shouted, raising a fist in the air and waived it around.

Lambo gaped beside him. "You idiot! Chrome-nee told us we have to be inconspicuous!" he whispered loudly and smacked Ryouhei right in the shoulder before looking around in embarrassment at the attention they were receiving from the people surrounding them. "Eh?" Ryouhei turned a puzzled look at the teen before realization dawned on him. "Ah! S-Sorry... I extremely forgot for a second there, I saw them near the gates and I became extremely excited to the extreme!" He said enthusiastically, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

The young Lightning Guardian stared at him for a good two seconds before hiding his face in his free hand. "Goodness, this is not inconspicuous _at all_." He mumbled and shook his head.

"For once, I have to agree with the stupid cow."

Ryouhei and Lambo turned towards the source of the voice and immediately perked up at seeing Reborn standing behind them.

"Reborn!"

"I'm not a stupid cow!"

They said at the same time before pausing as their attention quickly went from Reborn to Tsuna who was standing slightly behind the hitman. A short moment of silence fell on them as Ryouhei and Lambo stared at the brunet, taking in their boss and friend's sight before Lambo decided to break it. "Tsuna-nii!" the teen exclaimed excitedly before nearly jumping Tsuna on the spot, earning that familiar yelp from the brunet that Ryouhei hadn't heard for a long time. "Hiiee! U-Um... uh..." Tsuna stuttered, obviously taken aback the Lambo's sudden reaction, and was sending both Ryouhei and Reborn confused, panicky glances before awkwardly patting the young Lightning Guardian on the back. "Um...hi?" he managed to say as he sent another nervous glance at Ryouhei.

A large grin broke out on his face and Ryouhei shouted."Yo! Sawada!" he greeted before walking over and engulfing both Tsuna and Lambo, who still hadn't let go of the brunet, into an extremely enthusiastic group hug earning him a surprised squeak from Tsuna and an annoyed shout from Lambo. "I'm extremely glad to see that you're alright to the extreme!" He said as he let go of the two grinning from ear to ear.

Tsuna slowly nodded just as Lambo stepped back to give him some space and Ryouhei felt his grin falter a little as he noted the nervousness and complete lack of recognition in those chocolate brown eyes and the truth that Tsuna had no memory of any of them came back to him full force.

"Um." Tsuna turned to him, hands fidgeting lightly. "You're... Sasagawa Ryouhei-san, right?" the brunet asked and Ryouhei's grin completely disappeared at the way the brunet was acting. It reminded him of the times back in middle school when he and the Tsuna still didn't know each other. The lack of recognition and familiarity was a bit disturbing, he had to admit, but he reminded himself that Tsuna didn't have any memories and that for him, this was like meeting each other for the first time.

Noticing that he was starting to space out, Ryouhei grinned once again. "That's extremely right! But you can extremely call me 'Onii-san' instead since calling me anything else makes it feel so extremely formal." He said and held out a fist. "...Onii-san, then." Tsuna mumbled as a contemplative look crossed his features before noticing Ryouhei's fist and hesitantly, shyly raising his own to bump against Ryouhei's.

Ryouhei smiled at the returned gesture and was about to say something when Lambo chirped in. "I'm Lambo! You can call me Lambo-san!" the teen interjected happily before he was kicked in the back by Reborn.

"Reborn!" Tsuna quickly looked over Lambo as the teen stumbled forward, a pained, surprised yelp coming from the teen as he almost running to the large glass windows as he did so. "You shouldn't do that!" the brunet admonished. Reborn smirked. "There's no need to worry dame-Tsuna, the stupid cow can take more than that." The hitman said and ignored the rest of Tsuna's complaints as he turned to Ryouhei. "We should get going. Tsuna needs to rest." He said seriously and Lambo, despite still whimpering in pain and whining about Reborn being mean, quickly looked up at the hitman before turning to Tsuna. "You should have said so from the start Tsuna-nii. Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

Ryouhei brought an arm around Tsuna's neck. "You should have extremely told us Sawada! There's a car waiting for us outside!" he said, raising a fist into the air and started pulling the brunet towards the direction of the exit.

"A-Ah, there's no need to worry! I took a nap during the flight so I'm feeling better." Tsuna said waving his hands in a semi-flailing manner but Ryouhei chose to ignore the comment. Looking closely, Tsuna did look a bit pale and there were bags under his eyes. It didn't take a genius to see that Tsuna needed to rest, probably a check-up too.

"I'm fine." The brunet added when Ryouhei didn't reply but nevertheless allowed himself to be pulled along. Lambo had joined them, walking on the other side of Tsuna as he sipped on his strawberry smoothie and Ryouhei had pulled his arm back from the brunet allowing him to walk on his own.

Reborn moved to walk to Ryouhei's other side, looking nonchalant as always. "I need to tell you something." Reborn mumbled quietly, just enough for the words to be only heard by him and immediately, Ryouhei slowed his pace to let Tsuna and Lambo take the lead. "What is it?" he asked finally when they were about three steps away and noticed the serious expression returning in Reborn's dark eyes. Reborn was silent for a moment, his eyes keeping watch on Tsuna who was still fussing over Lambo, before he spoke. "During the flight, I had to explain some things to Tsuna about Vongola and about you guys as well." He started. "I also had to tell him about what happened two years ago." Ryouhei felt himself still at the hitman's words. "You mean-"

"He knows about what happened to Kyoko, Ryouhei."

Ryouhei stared at Reborn, those dark, unreadable eyes as hard to decipher as always. "Wha- Why did you tell him?" he asked. It wasn't that he didn't want Tsuna to know about that incident, it was just... he thought it was still too early for Tsuna to know now about it.

"He asked about the ring. I couldn't keep him hanging in the air forever." Reborn answered and Ryouhei nearly smacked himself at forgetting that one important fact that Tsuna had Kyoko's ring. "He was bound to find out about it anyway. I just wanted to let you know that he knows." Reborn added as he turned his attention back to the two and walked over to where they were, smacking Lambo on the head rather forcefully and earning another admonishment from Tsuna.

Ryouhei watched them silently, his mind whirring with thoughts. So Tsuna already knew about Kyoko. Was that why Tsuna had looked at him strangely earlier? Because he already knew? And since Reborn had already explained who they were, it would be obvious that Tsuna already knew that Kyoko's his sister.

To be honest, he had been thinking of how he would explain the incident to Tsuna when the time came that the brunet would ask him about it. He'd been thinking of how to say it without making his own pain resurface as well. But since Reborn had already told him, well, he didn't have to do so anymore. For some strange reason though, he didn't know if he should feel relieved about it or not and he didn't know why it was bothering him.

"U-Um, o-onii-san. Is s-something wrong?"

Tsuna's voice snapped him out of his thoughts as he blinked as he realized that he had stopped walking. Tsuna, Lambo and Reborn were looking at him and he quickly shook his head and smiled. "I'm extremely fine to the extreme!" he said enthusiastically as he quickly walked over to where the other three were. "Are you sure?" Tsuna asked meekly and Ryouhei nodded. "I'm extremely sure." He told the brunet and gestured that they all start heading for the exit.

Ryouhei shook his head. He shouldn't let himself be bothered by his thoughts. What was important was that Tsuna was back to them, back to his Famiglia. And even though Tsuna had no memories of them, no memories of all the times they've spent together, he was fine with it. Because to him, Tsuna was almost as precious to him as Kyoko was. Tsuna was a part of his family, they were practically brothers in a sense. He could deal with everything else later on. Knowing that Tsuna was back, safe and sound, was all he really needed at the moment.

* * *

Author's Note's:

Hmm, I've been thinking that there's a lot I wanted to say here but now that I could, I can't seem to remember any of them... oh well.

Anyway! First things first! If any of you notice or think that Lambo's a bit OOC here (since my beta think so XD) all I'm gonna say is that Lambo is gonna gonna be a bit more mature in this story, especially since he's about 16 here, but I made him act a little more childish in this chapter because this is the first time after a year since Tsuna disappeared that he got to see Tsuna again. So yeah, he was excited and reverted to acting like a little bit of his kid self but only for this chapter (or any other chapter I might deem it necessary, though I doubt it).

Secondly, I cannot promise a specific time as to when i'd be able to update. I may or may not take another long time before I can finish the next chapter. One of the reasons is that there's a lot of things happening IRL at the moment and I'll have to take care of those first. The other reason is because the sequence of events I've planned that I've managed to make an outline of cuts off here and although I have everything in this story all planned up, it's gonna take me some time to plan the chapters.

Thirdly, I want to thank all of you who still managed to put up with the annoyingly long wait. (FOURMONTHSOHGODIAMSOSORRY) and still enjoy this story. If you ever have the time to review and tell me what you think, it is gladly appreciated.


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